Australian Energy Market Operator staff to take industrial action against management

MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday 2 December 2021

Australian Energy Market Operator staff to take industrial action against management

Employees at Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) have voted to take protected action in response to management’s failure to address major employment issues at AEMO.

The protected action ballot closed today and recorded an overwhelming yes vote.

The successful ballot allows AEMO staff to exercise their right to engage in work stoppages, refuse to work overtime or on-call and take all allocated meal breaks as Australia’s energy system enters its highest-pressure period.

Professionals Australia CEO Jill McCabe said AEMO management had done little to prevent this situation from occurring after five months of enterprise negotiations failed to address employees’ major concerns.

It seems that AEMO management has little regard for the community they serve, given they are unwilling to value the expertise of their highly skilled workforce, who actually make our energy system run smoothly.

This is the first time our members have ever voted to take industrial action at AEMO which demonstrates how serious the problems are in the organisation.

Employees don’t want the community to suffer because of AEMO management’s blatant disregard of their skills and expertise. They will only act upon their right to engage in work stoppages if absolutely necessary.

“Employees at AEMO want to be heard, be covered fairly in the enterprise agreement and be treated with respect by management.

“This isn’t simply an issue about wages or pay rises – it’s fundamentally about ensuring AEMO employees are not worse off under the new enterprise agreement. Unfortunately, AEMO management has failed to genuinely consider and address employee concerns in enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Professionals Australia is calling on AEMO management to return to the negotiating table with a changed attitude and to address the following issues:

  • Broadening the enterprise agreement’s coverage to include more than graduate and early-career staff
  • Providing a clear rationale and explanation for the revised classification structure
  • Reassuring employees that their input into the negotiations won’t have negative repercussions for their future employment.
“In the interest of all Australian energy consumers, we urgently call on AEMO management to return to the negotiating table and recommence discussions in a fair and sensible manner.”

Media contact: Jo Meehan – 0422 543 757