Electrical Trades Union members at Power Water and Territory Generation will vote on whether to take industrial action to protest the four-year pay freeze and low staffing levels, which could include not working overtime and not disconnecting power from homes for non-payments, the union’s organiser has said.

The workers comprise the latest sector to announce industrial action, with prison officers and firefighters having taken action recently, and the Greater Darwin region’s teachers striking this week because their EBA negotiations have been going nowhere, which the Chief Minister claimed was a political stunt to embarrass Labor ahead of a by-election.

St John Ambulance paramedics, and Danila Dilba Health Service staff (excluding doctors and nurses) have also voted to take industrial action, United Workers NT president Erina Early said in mid-March.

Unions NT is also organising a public service day of action on September 1, to protest against the pay freeze.

A general public enterprise agreement was approved by 57 per cent of eligible employees in December, after months of controversy over the Gunner Government’s move to introduce a four year pay freeze in exchange for $10,000 in lump sum payments over the period.

Public servants had rejected the $1,000 annual “bonus” offer but then-chief minister Michael Gunner later sweetened the pot, hiking the bonus to $4,000 for the first year and $2,000 a year for the remaining three years.

He did this with money he claimed the government “saved” by sacking nearly 400 public servants who failed to get the COVID-19 vaccination.

However, various public service employees, including those represented by the ETU, sit outside that agreement.

ETU organiser Dave Hayes said workers have been involved in enterprise bargaining negotiations with Power and Water since March 2021, when the union began campaigning against the four–year pay freeze, and with Territory Generation since March this year.

“Workers have voted no to the offer multiple times. We are not going to accept it and we won’t back down. The government must come to the table with a fair offer,” he said.

Mr Hayes said there were 16 possible actions they would take, including stopping work from one hour to full shifts, and different work bans such as not working on live power lines, meaning electricity has to be turned off for repairs, no working overtime, no working on rostered days off, not working at higher duties, a ban on employees transferring between sections and regions, not disconnecting power for non-payments, and not doing capital works.

He said the one caveat was there would be no action taken that stops members working in emergencies where there is a risk to health and safety, or any action that would endanger the health, welfare, and lives of Teritorians.

“The cost of living continues to rise, and our public sector workers are being offered a pay freeze, which is an effective pay cut given increasing CPI here in the Territory,” he said.

“The offer is an insult to workers who have kept the lights on and the water safe. The proposed wage freeze has consequences beyond the four–year period. Even if workers see pay rises on the fifth year, they will be way behind, as will their super. It will affect all workers, and especially those heading toward retirement.”

“For our members in TGen and Power and Water, one of the huge problems is a lack of staff. Our teams are understaffed, and this continues to go ignored by government.”

Power and Water and Territory Generation have been contacted for comment.