TasNetworks workers will soon be voting on a revised pay offer from the state-owned grid company, after weeks of industrial action and a major storm that left thousands in the dark.
The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) announced its members will start voting on September 25, with the ballot closing on October 2.
The offer, tabled under Fair Work rules, includes a 14% pay increase over three years, backdated to July 1.
It also features a one-off payment of $6,000, a $4,000 increase from the initial $2,000 offered.
TasNetworks CEO Dr McGoldrick called the offer “exceptional”, saying it “rewards our people better than ever before”.
“We’re at our maximum allowable offer. Any further increases would have an unacceptable impact on Tasmanians’ power prices and TasNetworks’ sustainability,” he said.
“While aspects of the offer can conceivably be traded in and out on like-for-like value, TasNetworks has no discretion to increase the offer’s overall monetary value.”
However, the CEPU remains unsatisfied, arguing that a 35% pay increase is needed to bring wages in line with the national average for power line workers.
CEPU state organiser Chris Clark called the new offer a ‘bribe’ and urged members to reject it, claiming at least 400 workers intend to vote ‘no’.
To pass, the offer needs a majority vote from the 900 to 1,000 workers covered by the enterprise agreement.
The voting process comes as power outages continue to affect hundreds of customers across the state, with 374 outages impacting 20 areas as of Wednesday afternoon.
TasNetworks says many of these outages are in hard-to-reach locations and may be challenging to restore.
