August 29, 2024
MEU energy members have been at the forefront of a campaign to win co-ordinated national support for power station workers affected by closures.
And now we’ve won!
At our National Energy Delegates meeting in March last year, delegates endorsed the call for a national authority to fund and co-ordinate support for workers, families and communities affected by the closure of coal power stations and associated coal mines.
Since then, many MEU members have backed this call with trips to Canberra, workplace rallies, discussions with MPs, evidence at Parliamentary hearings, media commentary and social media posts.
It has all made a difference!
On Thursday 22 August, the Net Zero Economy Authority Bill passed the Senate, with the support of cross-bench Senators our members met with.
It must now return to the House of Representatives for a final procedural vote to become law, but that is a formality.
The Net Zero Economy Authority has the goal of ensuring power station workers and regions are supported in relation to energy transition.
The legislation establishes an Energy Industry Jobs Plan’ that places obligations on employers at closing power stations to support their workforce including retraining, engagement with potential future employers, and paid time off work for these activities. It also sets up pathways into new jobs through a pooled redeployment scheme, with incentives for other local employers to hire affected workers.
The MEU will continue working hard in the years ahead to ensure the NZEA delivers for our members and communities.
We thank the Albanese Labor Government for their commitment to this important reform. And we thank all our members for your hard work and support to deliver this ground-breaking win.
