December 20, 2024
Co-ordinated national support for power station workers is on the way with the official commencement of the Net Zero Economy Authority this month.
MEU General President Tony Maher has been appointed to the board of the Authority, which is an independent, statutory authority tasked with supporting workers and communities affected by coal and gas-fired power station closures. Former President of the Fair Work Commission Iain Ross has been appointed as Chair.
The Authority currently has 120 staff and will work with unions, communities, state and local governments and industry to facilitate the development of new industries in traditional energy areas and co-ordinate redeployment for displaced power station workers.
Central to the Authority’s work is the ‘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 pooled redeployment schemes, with incentives for other local employers to hire displaced workers.
The MEU has campaigned for many years for co-ordinated support for the workers who are most imminently and profoundly affected by Australia’s energy transition.
Tony Maher attended the NZEA’s first board meeting last week. He said it was a positive meeting where there was a shared commitment to ensuring a bright future for energy regions and redeployment options for affected power station workers.
The next coal power station due to close is NSW’s Eraring in 2027, where workers will have the support of the NZEA’s Energy Industry Jobs Plan.
“We have been talking about the need for redeployment programs for power station workers for many years. This will now be a reality, with significant expertise and resources allocated to supporting power station workers into new employment.
“The establishment of the NZEA is an important milestone, facilitated by the commitment of the Albanese Government to ensure our energy transition leaves no-one behind. With multiple power station closures in the next five years, there’s no time to waste in putting our plans in place.”