January 25, 2013
The Electrical Trades Union today released documents obtained under a “Right To Information” request which it says show the State Government directed Ergon Energy to apply cuts of at least 10 per cent in their costs.
“The revelations contained in ministerial documents … directly contradict statements made by the Premier and his Ministers that the decisions were made by the ‘Independent Boards’,” a union statement says.
The documents show Energy Minister Mark McArdle and Treasurer Tim Nicholls wrote to the boards of Ergon and Energex last September seeking cuts to both the operating and capital sides of the companies’ budgets.
However the union says the following month Mr McArdle told Estimates Committee hearings that: “Can I state quite clearly that the Boards are an independent body. They make and operate their businesses on a day-to-day basis”.
ETU State Secretary Peter Simpson said the revelations were “yet another example of the government using its influence over supposedly independent boards to make job cuts”.
“McArdle, Nicholls and the Premier have been saying for a long time that the decisions to cut jobs and programs are the decisions of the Boards,” he said.
“These revelations appear to show that the government has been less than forthcoming with the truth and may have misled Parliament and the Queensland public.
“The documents indicate a direct link between the LNP Government and the massive job losses being experienced across Ergon and Energex, including the latest round of job losses announced on Tuesday.
“The government will no doubt try and spin the cuts to programs, however a quick look at the cuts and jobs that have gone and it is obvious that these cuts are unnecessary and are going to hurt Queenslanders.
Mr Simpson said apprentice numbers had been reduced by 55 and 205 vacant positions left unfilled “including 140 deemed so critical just eight months ago that Ergon sought to use skilled migration to fill them”.
As well, meter reading had been privatised, frontline field staff reduced by 57, and 218 fixed term / labour hire / non-permanent staff “shown the door”, Mr Simpson said.
“And the government has the audacity to say more cuts are part of the original 500 they said last year. Well they went past 500 job cuts months ago,” he said.
