Hunter power workers have rallied outside Ausgrid's Wallsend depot following a breakdown in enterprise agreement negotiations.
They were joined by colleagues in Sydney who also walked off the job on Tuesday morning.
The action follows negotiations with the power company, which the Electrical Trades Union said had refused to provide workers with fair pay to keep up with the cost of living.
ETU NSW/ACT Secretary Allen Hicks said after months of negotiations Ausgrid had refused to progress enterprise bargaining for 55 days. Instead it had forced a vote on its inferior enterprise agreement offer on two occasions, which workers had rejected.
"Ausgrid workers have watched their wages go backwards by almost 10 per cent in real terms over recent years, yet Ausgrid - a company making millions in profits every year off the back of NSW households - is refusing to provide them with a modest pay increase," Mr Hicks said.
"All these workers want is a fair go - a decent enterprise agreement that recognises their contribution and helps them and their families keep their heads above water.
The key sticking points in negotiations include:
- A fair wages and super increase to keep up with the cost of living;
- Improved compensation/allowances for things like shift work and being on call;
- A fair career progression system that reflects experience and skills.
An Ausgrid spokesman said the company had put forward a record offer as part of the enterprise agreement renewal negotiations.
The three-year package includes a first-year increase of 7 per cent plus 0.5 per cent super, a second-year increase of CPI (or 2.7 per cent if it is higher) plus 0.5 per cent super and a third-year increase of CPI (or 2.7 per cent if it is higher).
The company also said it had provided superannuation at 15.5 per cent per annum, which will rise to 16.5 per cent in year two of the new deal.
"We are protecting all existing conditions and have agreed to 80 new terms, including increased allowances. We expect many employees will receive as much as a 21 per cent pay increase over 3 years," Ausgrid's Group Executive Operations Sam Sofi said.
"This deal recognises cost-of-living pressures and rewards our people for their hard work."
But Mr Hicks said Ausgrid's failure to put forward a decent offer demonstrated lack of respect for the state's power workers and opened up the real risk of workers moving interstate.
"These frontline workers are among the first responders in emergency situations who restore power during severe weather events at any time of the day or night. They deserve to be able to provide for themselves and their families," he said.
"We're at real risk of seeing these essential workers forced to find jobs interstate where they can get paid a lot more - around $10 an hour in many cases - doing the same job."
ETU members have given a safety commitment to undertake emergency work, regardless of the industrial action being taken.
