UPDATE – 5PM: The AFL has rescheduled Saturday’s game as a result of the industrial action.
The game has been moved from 4:40pm to 12:30pm to avoid the need for stadium lighting.
The AFL say moving the game to Melbourne or Hobart’s Blundstone Arena posed too much of a logistical challenge.
EARLIER: TasNetworks is “confident” the lights will stay on at Inveresk’s UTAS Stadium for the AFL clash between Hawthorn and North Melbourne on Saturday, despite industrial action by union members.
The concerns comes after a 36-hour power outage in the Launceston area this week, with the lengthy delays in restoration blamed on strike action by the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU).
Chris Clark from the CEPU refused to guarantee power supply to the stadium during the match, saying it was TasNetwork’s responsibility.
“The board, the minister and the CEO are the ones that need to commit that the power will be on for that game,” Clark said.
TasNetworks CEO Sean McGoldrick said he is “confident the game will be fine” and confirmed the company was “taking some precautions to help safeguard it”.
“The power is on at the UTAS Stadium… Our network is secure,” he said.
CEPU members began industrial action in early August after negotiations over pay increases stalled.
The union is demanding pay parity with their mainland counterparts, calling for pay rises of up to 35%.
TasNetworks’ current offer is a 7% increase, which would increase the base line-worker salary to nearly $100,000.
McGoldrick said he doesn’t believe action “should go to such extremes as to cast any doubt on major events”.
It is understood the AFL is exploring potentially moving the game to Melbourne or to Blundstone Arena in Hobart a ‘last-resort’.
The match on August 24 is the final game to be played in Launceston during the 2024 AFL season.
