As you will be aware, the combined unions commenced consultation with Ausgrid on their proposals to re-structure (yet again) its workforce.
Despite requests from the USU, which were supported by the ETU & Professionals Australia, for Ausgrid not to monopolise the time of your union’s resources so as to enable us to represent our members effectively, Ausgrid did just the opposite by sending out meeting requests for EVERY SINGLE DAY of the weeks beginning November 16 and 23. On a lot of days, up to 4 meetings had been scheduled.
Your union was advised late yesterday afternoon (17/11) that the consultation process has been placed in dispute. Your union advised Ausgrid today (18/11) that it supports the dispute and is a party to it.
The reasons for the dispute include, but aren’t limited to:
- The timeline for consultation has not been agreed to. Further, the combined unions have made submissions in all meetings conducted to date relating to the monopolisation of our time;
- Plus ES employees have been excluded from the process;
- That vacant roles being removed from structures DO NOT count towards the headcount reduction, contrary to the re-structure undertaken last year; and
- The unions feel that Ausgrid hasn’t supplied all relevant information to all impacted employees as they are required to do.
Obviously, we will keep you abreast of developments as they arise.
For more information contact:
Troy Dunne – Sydney Metro Ausgrid
0419 403 076 / tdunne@usu.org.au
Paul Sansom – Newcastle & Hunter Ausgrid
0409 076 633 / psansom@usu.org.au
