Demonising Latrobe Valley - Power Workers Not Solving The Long-Term ProblemLatrobe City Mayor, Councillor Brendan Jenkins, has attacked calls by Shadow Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Philip Davis, for tough action against Yallourn power workers. By Latrobe City Council - 11th December 2001 - Back to News Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Brendan Jenkins, has attacked calls by Shadow Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Philip Davis, for tough action against Yallourn power workers. Cr Jenkins said Mr Davis failed to recognise and accept responsibility for the deep problems caused by the Kennett coalition government in privatising and breaking up the Victorian electricity industry which, he claimed, had led to a system in crisis for the last three years in Victoria.
Cr Jenkins said the Shadow Minister had to shoulder some of the responsibility for a Victorian electricity system which ‘had lost the robustness of the State Electricity Commission days, and was now at risk of failing due to any combination of occurrences; including hot weather, plant failure, industrial action or decisions by private owners of generating units.’
"For Mr Davis to attempt to demonise Latrobe Valley energy industry workers who have spent generations guaranteeing supply is to hide his own Governments’ responsibility in the Kennett years," Cr Jenkins said.
Cr Jenkins said that while Mr Davis was not one of the architects of the privatisation, there was no doubt that he was ‘at least a billy boy on the construction site of the Kennett reforms.’
"It’s these reforms, not the actions of Yallourn workers, which place the State’s electricity system at risk," Cr Jenkins said.
"Mr Davis should remember his responsibility to represent those constituents who for a large part make up those electricity industry workers, who he attempts to lumber with the present difficulties."
Cr Jenkins said that the workers in the Latrobe Valley power industry had continued to guarantee supply throughout the most ferocious attack on job security ever undertaken by a government in Australia.
"Throughout the 1990s, power workers maintained their commitment to a secure supply whilst their jobs and those of their community were under attack.
"More recently they have also been able to negotiate in good faith with all other electricity employers in the Latrobe Valley. The only variable in this particular dispute is not the workers, nor their unions, but the employer," he said
"The Victorian community and Mr Davis should be asking why this problem seems to be solely with Yallourn Energy and not the other power companies which continue to work with their employees, and with those unions so readily attacked by Mr Davis," Cr Jenkins concluded.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: latrobecity@gippslander.com
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