Electricity workers in Australia's NSW to strike over gov't privatization plan

Electricity workers in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) are planning to strike in the coming weeks to highlight concerns about job losses under the state government' s plan to privatize the industry.

Workers at the Endeavour Energy, a major distributor of electricity in the state, are likely to stop work for four hours on March 31, three days after the state election, while workers at Ausgrid, another electricity network, will strike for four hours on April 1 and 8, a union said.

NSW Premier Mike Baird's conservative government has made the sale of these assets an election issue, and has been criticized by opposition party, Labor, and unions.

Electrical Trade Union's (ETU) NSW Secretary Steve Butler said the sell-off plan would have a "dramatic impact on jobs."

Butler said there were negotiations over wage increases, but privatization was of much more concern than workers pay.

"Ultimately, the wage outcome becomes secondary when we start to look at the job losses," he said in a statement.

Investment bank UBS is advising the government on the sale, and has sent an information brochure to potential buyers this week. Endi