Electrical Trades Union, ETU NSW Branch in Haymarket | Trade union

Electrical Trades Union, ETU NSW Branch

Locality: Haymarket

Phone: +61 2 9267 4844

Address: Level 5, 370 Pitt Street 2000 Haymarket, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.etunsw.com.au/

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23.01.2022 VENTIA SPARKS ACTION VOTE ETU members working for contractor Ventia in Wollongong are poised to take industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay rise. A strong majority voted YES to all actions listed in a Protected Action Ballot, the AEC confirmed.... The result opens the way for unlimited strikes, stoppages and bans, with each action up to 72 hours in duration. The 11 Ventia workers provide supplementary skills and labour to Bluescope but are paid less than Bluescope employees doing the same job. ETU members rejected an inadequate pay offer from Ventia. The company needs to meet industry standards or face a likely industrial campaign

20.01.2022 NSW UPPER HOUSE CONDEMNS AUSGRID JOB CUTS & CALLS ON CEO GROSS TO REVERSE THEM The NSW Upper House has voted by a strong majority to condemn Ausgrid’s job cuts and call on the company’s CEO to reverse cuts planned from January 2021. Labor, The Greens, The Shooters, One Nation, Animal Justice, Justin Field (Ind) and Fred Nile combined to name and shame Ausgrid CEO Richard Gross. This is a powerful alliance for job security.... The 22-14 vote targeted Ausgrid’s plan to axe 230 positions in January 2021 and a further 270 in 2022 or later. These cuts are on top of more than 2,000 jobs slashed at the company since 2015. Ausgrid has already cut so deep that many of the company’s customers were left without power for weeks last summer after fire, floods and storms wreaked havoc on the power network. There were not enough workers left to reconnect thousands of homes. Job security and a fair pay rise are the core issues in EBA negotiations currently underway at Ausgrid. The ETU holds CEO Gross personally responsible for the continuing attacks on staffing under his watch. If Richard Gross is not prepared to defend jobs and services, he should resign as CEO. But the owners of Ausgrid must also be held responsible. Firstly the NSW Government, which retains 49% ownership. The ETU calls on the Berejiklian Government to intervene and veto the further planned 500 job cuts at Ausgrid. Secondly the industry superannuation funds that are the majority-owners of Ausgrid, namely Australian Super and IFM. These funds are built on workers’ money. The ETU calls on Australian Super and IFM to uphold the values that led to the creation of industry super and act in the interests of workers and the community. It is unacceptable for industry super funds to collaborate in the destruction of electricity jobs and services. We thank Mark Buttigieg MLC for moving the motion to defend Ausgrid jobs, and our thanks to all those who voted in support

18.01.2022 ’MAGOO’ HOOKED ON FISHING When ETU organiser Steve ‘Magoo’ Magann needs to clear his head, he goes fishing, usually alone. ‘I’ve been doing it all my life. It’s a total experience that immerses you in nature and opens the mind,’ said the former Essential Energy electrician.... Steve targets freshwater fish including bass, yellowbelly and saratoga in the dams near his Lismore home or further afield in Queensland. His best catches, all released, include a 1.13 metre barramundi at Lake Awonga and a 50 centimetre bass at Somerset Dam. ARE YOU A KEEN ETU ANGLER? Send your favourite fishing pics to [email protected]

15.01.2022 'Gladys, show some respect! Look after our members, because we look after NSW!' ETU President Glen Potter condemns the NSW Government's public sector wage cuts

13.01.2022 APPRENTICE DELEGATE RAVEN IS CHIP OFF FAMILY BLOCK Sydney Trains apprentice delegate Raven Maris comes from a long line of industrial workers and trade unionists in her home country Canada. The 33-year-old travelled 14,000 kilometres to settle in Australia which, she says, is ‘the best country in the world’.... ‘My father Walter was an electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. My uncle was active in the steelworkers union. ‘Coming from overseas, I can see the great conditions built by Australian unionists. The minimum wage here is close to $20 an hour. In Canada it’s just $14 per hour, but the cost of living is the same. ‘I think Australian workers need to be vigilant about maintaining our rights and entitlements. That’s why I want to be more active in my union the ETU.’ Raven applied for several electrical apprenticeships, unsuccessfully, before enrolling in a Sydney Trains pre-apprenticeship course for women. ‘Perhaps my age and gender counted against me, but that wasn’t an issue with Sydney Trains. The pre-apprenticeship course gave me the confidence to apply for a position. I was thrilled to get a start.’ Raven said she’s been welcomed by her workmates at Gosford Network Base. ‘They don’t treat me any differently, which is exactly as it should be. I’m expected to do the same work to the same standards.’ As an ETU apprentice delegate, Raven is on hand to support more than 100 electrical apprentices across the Sydney Trains network. Welcome aboard, Raven Maris!

12.01.2022 CONTRACTOR BACKPAYS 32 WORKERS $9,000 AFTER ETU ACTION ETU action has recovered more than $9,000 plus paid time off for 32 electricians employed by LCS Electrical and Data. The company, which does not have a union EBA, failed to pay workers basic award entitlements.... ETU organiser Nick Bligh investigated wage records after reports from ETU members working at the QBE site in Smith St, Parramatta. He found LCS was paying overtime rates only after employees had worked 40 hours per week breaching legal requirements to pay overtime after 38 hours. The fitout and refurbishment company also failed to pay required overtime meal breaks and meal allowance. With the cooperation of the site’s head builder, FDC Construction and Fitout, the ETU ensured 20 electrical workers were backpaid various amounts totalling more than $9,000. Another 12 workers elected to take the backpayment as RDOs. LCS’s undermining of basic entitlements contrasts sharply with the union EBA conditions enjoyed by ETU members at Heyday, who did the base build at the same Parramatta site. The ETU continues to investigate further reports of alleged breaches at other LCS sites. HAVE YOU BEEN UNDERPAID? Contact the ETU team

10.01.2022 UNION WIN RAIL MEMBERS VOTE DOWN SYDNEY TRAINS’ ATTEMPT TO DENY BARGAINING RIGHTS UPDATE: The ETU has obtained the voting data. A great turnout from combined workers with 8012 voting: 979 YES (the company position) v 7033 NO (the union position). That is a comprehensive verdict with 87.7% of workers voting down management’s plan ... ETU members at Sydney Trains have voted down the company’s attempt to deny bargaining rights by extending the current EBA for six months. Workers would have received a tiny 0.3% pay rise with no right to negotiate or take industrial action, under Sydney Trains’ proposal. The ETU and other rail unions campaigned hard for a NO vote. Voting closed today and the company soon admitted defeat in an email to employees. However management has so far refused to reveal the actual voting numbers or the size of the majority NO vote. ETU organiser Anthony O’Sullivan welcomed the outcome and congratulated members for standing together. ‘This was a bad proposal from Sydney Trains that our members quickly saw through and rejected. ‘Great work from all the ETU delegates and members who got behind the union’s campaign and won this important battle. When we are active and united, we win!’ The ETU campaign included site visits, delegate activism and helmet stickers along with phone calls, SMS and emails. The ETU calls on Sydney Trains to move forward with genuine EBA negotiations, with the current agreement expiring on 1 May. ‘Show some respect for employees by launching a real bargaining process,’ said Anthony O’Sullivan. The ETU has asked Sydney Trains to release the full results of the vote immediately

10.01.2022 DON’T DERAIL OUR RIGHTSETU members at Sefton Triangle voted NO to Sydney Trains’ plan to prevent bargaining. We demand genuine EBA negotiations!

10.01.2022 ACTU REPORT WARNS OF EXPLOITATION & DANGEROUS PRACTICES IN RENEWABLE SECTOR The ETU NSW & ACT Branch backs a new ACTU report that calls for reform to create good, secure local jobs in the renewable energy industry. The comprehensive report finds that 27,000 people are employed nationally in the renewables sector, with up to 45,000 renewable jobs likely by 2035.... However, as the ETU has found, the rapidly growing sector is rife with exploitation and unsafe practices. ‘We've seen exploitation, workers underpaid and companies collapse with none of their entitlements paid, so we’re concerned to make sure jobs that are being created are secure ones with good pay and conditions,’ ACTU president Michele O’Neil told media. ‘Many of these new jobs lack the security and conditions of the jobs at fossil fuel power stations and mines.’ The ACTU report calls on government and the renewables sector to work with unions to ensure ‘quality jobs with fair pay and conditions’ including union enterprise agreements for all large-scale renewable projects. ETU member Tony has worked at solar farms in Victoria and NSW. He told media that casual staff including backpackers are often brought in through labour hire companies. Some people he worked alongside didn’t have the additional training needed to work in the high-voltage setting of a solar farm. Tony said he has witnessed staff fail to check if electricity isolation procedures are in place and get an ‘arc flash’, a type of electrical explosion that can be fatal. He reported these incidents. ‘It petrifies me. I hate to say this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a fatality at some stage.’ The ETU has exposed numerous safety breaches including at Wellington Solar Farm, where Indian-based builder Stirling & Wilson was issued with 20 SafeWork Improvement Notices. ETU NSW & ACT Secretary Justin Page welcomed the ACTU report which he said ‘demonstrates the scale of the problem and the urgency of major reform’. ‘Our union will continue our campaign for well-paid, secure and safe renewable energy jobs. But we strongly support calls for the governments which fund renewables projects to mandate union EBAs and other measures to bring the sector up to safe industry standards.’ READ MORE

10.01.2022 CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MEMBERS: ENSURE YOU GET PAID FOR PICNIC DAY. BUY OFFICIAL ETU TICKET Make sure you get paid for the ETU Construction Industry Family Picnic Day lock in your official ticket today. If you have already purchased your Picnic Day ticket, sit back and relax. You will be paid for the day. If required, just show your employer the ticket. ... If you have not yet purchased your ticket, please do so ASAP. Our family picnic ticket has already sold out due to capacity issues and restrictions associated with COVID. Buy your single ticket online here: https://etu-nsw-merchandise.myshopify.com//2020-constructi Please note, this is a hard copy paper ticket. If you purchase by 5 pm Friday 27 November, the ETU will mail your ticket to your nominated address. If you buy your ticket after Friday 27 November (and by Friday 4 December), you will need to come to the ETU office to collect your ticket. For more information, email the ETU office at [email protected]

09.01.2022 BUILDER TOLD TO MAKE SITE SAFE AFTER ETU ACTION Builder Hutchinson has rectified four safety issues at a school site after an ETU investigation was backed by the safety regulator. Safework NSW issued Hutchinson with four Improvement Notices relating to works performed by electrical contractor David Power.... The hazards were identified by ETU organiser Lawrie Duff at Samuel Gilbert Public School in Rouse Hill. The Safework Notices told Hutchinson: Workers may be at serious risk of electric shock or electrocution due to temporary and permanent wiring being bundled together Workers may be at risk of falling two metres in one area of the site Workers may be at risk of being crushed by an unsecured switchboard Workers and other people may be exposed to fire or explosion due to fire-fighting equipment not being inspected or maintained. The builder complied and rectified the works within a week. ETU organisers monitor safety at schools and other sites across Sydney, NSW and the ACT. IS YOUR SITE UNSAFE? Report issues to the ETU team

08.01.2022 ETU MEMBER GEORGE SEALS DEAL ON ‘THE BLOCK’ ETU member George has found fame after completing a successful house renovation on Channel 9’s The Block. George and wife Sarah told media they plan to start a family after making a tidy profit on the sale.... George is a proud union member and Health and Safety Representative employed by City Electrical on a Barangaroo site. Congratulations George and Sarah!

08.01.2022 APPRENTICE OPPORTUNITY with Electrogroup. Applications close 24 December

07.01.2022 PROUDLY UNION Essential Energy’s Guyra depot, near Armidale, is verified 100% ETU

06.01.2022 TAFE: RESTORE THE POWERETU Apprentice Officer Tara Koot says the NSW Government should properly fund TAFE to ensure quality trade training for electrical apprentices. The ETU supports TAFE teachers who are under-staffed and haven’t had a pay rise in two years

05.01.2022 32 WORKERS BACKPAID $332,199 BY METRO TRAINS AFTER UNION ACTION Thirty-two union members have received a total of $332,199.87 backpay from Metro Trains Sydney after union action. Fourteen ETU members, along with RTBU and AMWU members, were underpaid allowances and leave loading between May 2019 and April 2020. ... At issue was wording in the first Metro Trains Sydney enterprise agreement, which commenced in April 2020. Workers had been promised they would be backpaid at EBA rates for work after May 2019, when shift work on the metro project started. However the company later claimed the backpay arrangement applied only to the base pay rate and shift penalties, excluding allowances and leave loading. The ETU and other unions, with Unions NSW, took the case to the Fair Work Commission where the dispute was resolved. Workers received significant payments from a total settlement of $332,199.87. A former electrician at Metro Trains said he was ‘pleased and relieved’ to bank $13,800 before tax. ‘Metro was trying to be dodgy to boost their profits by taking our money. Our union did a great job. Without the ETU, we would have got nothing,’ said the ETU member. ETU organiser Anthony O’Sullivan welcomed the outcome but slammed Metro Trains Sydney for putting profits before the rights of employees. ‘I believe this is a consequence of the privatisation of operations on the Sydney Metro. 'Public transport should be first and foremost a service for the people of NSW. 'Instead we see taxpayers’ money going to a Hong Kong company and workers having to fight for agreed entitlements'

04.01.2022 Five delivery workers killed on Sydney streets in just two months. They had no training, rights, gear or insurance. Just people desperate to pay the rent. We need to pay our respects. Then demand change so this never happens again. RSVP for tomorrow’s vigil at Uber Eats Sydney HQ

03.01.2022 ’FEROCIOUS’ SON OF FORMER ETU DELEGATE WINS TITLE SHOT The son of a former ETU delegate is set to fight for the world lightweight boxing title. George ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos Junior became the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt after beating Welshman Lee Selby.... The 27-year-old has won all 19 professional fights, 10 by knockout. He trains in Miami but launched his professional career out of Kosta Tszyu’s Rockdale gym. George Jr is managed by his father George (Jimmy) Kambosos Senior, a former ETU delegate who worked for years across the construction industry. Jimmy paid tribute to his son’s mental toughness, revealing that George Jr chose boxing over electrical work. ‘When George Jr was 13 years old, I gave him a taste of the work he’d be doing if he followed in my steps as an electrician. I got him pulling cable and he didn’t like it.’ Jimmy said his long experience as an ETU delegate had made him a ‘hard negotiator’, a handy skill in his role as a full-time professional sports manager. ‘When you’ve stared down construction employers and convinced freeloaders to join the union, that’s good preparation for the tough world of pro boxing.’ George Jr, a sparring partner with the legendary Filipino veteran Manny Pacquiao, will now challenge undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo Loez for the world IBF title

02.01.2022 JOB SECURITY & FAIR PAY RISE ETU members at Ausgrid’s Cessnock depot are strong & united for a fair EBA