July 10, 2013
Unions have claimed the decision by Stanwell Corporation, a government-owned corporation, to axe jobs at Tarong Power Station is being driven by the State Government.
The Electrical Trades Union joined with The Services Union to put out a joint media statement today.
The unions said the announcement this morning by Stanwell was devastating news for the workers, their families and the local community.
ETU State Secretary Peter Simpson said the decision “smelled very much like a State Government cost-cutting directive”.
“It smacks of a (Treasurer Tim) Nicholls’ directive. Slash and burn at all costs and to hell with the communities affected,” Mr Simpson said.
“The workers at Tarong and the wider Kingaroy/Wide Bay community have a right to know who is driving this and we sought those answers through Freedom of Information requests which to date have been denied.
“You have to ask what are they hiding?”
TSU Acting Secretary Jennifer Thomas took aim at the Premier and his Energy Minister.
“What makes it particularly obscene is that the Premier was in line for a $100k plus pay rise while the Energy Minister it set to get a $93k boost while so many workers are being made redundant in government-owned energy businesses,” she said.
“Queenslanders were just hit with a 22.6 per cent retail price increase from July 1, so Stanwell via the wholesale market would be just about the only ones in Queensland who have falling electricity prices.”
Ms Thomas said the job losses also come hot on the heels of the recent government decision to consider the sale of State-owned power generators.
Mr Simpson said the devastating effects were being felt far and wide before today’s announcement.
“The local communities around Nanango, Kingaroy and Yarraman were reeling from 64 job losses announced after the generator mothballed two units in October last year, this latest announcement is yet another kick in the guts for the bush,” he said.
“We have had our members telling us job insecurity and redundancies are leading to significant drops in house prices, businesses closures and increasing unemployment.”
Mr Simpson said the decision was another example of the “LNP driving decisions from the comfort of their George Street leather, while the bush burned”.
“They are driving job cuts, depot closures many of which could be in the South Burnett and assets sales in Ergon, through their less-than-independent Independent Review Committee recommendations and now this; it’s a disgraceful attack on these regional communities,” he said.
“When will local MPs stand up for their communities and say enough is enough?”
Related article:
