Energy Minister and Australian Services Union member Bill Johnston must urgently intervene to prevent two days of power disruptions caused by union strike action at Western Power, according to WA Liberal Leader Dr David Honey.
“I am concerned that Mr Johnston has not intervened because the union he is a member of (The Australian Services Union) has already reached an agreement with Western Power and he is simply sitting back and allowing the ETU union to aggressively pursue their wage claim through strike action,” Dr Honey said.
“The union movement and the McGowan Labor Government are inextricably intertwined and now is payback time for the union leaders who have financially backed Labor during the State election.
“This dispute shows how the McGowan Labor Government total control of the State is now allowing union leaders to take disruptive industrial action in their push for higher wages in a sector where many workers already earn high salaries.
“Previous Opposition enquiries have revealed that many union members at Western Power and Synergy already earn double their base salaries, with some earning more than the Premier.
“If the Government is going to spend money, it should be directed to employing more doctors and nurses to support the massively overworked nurses and doctors who are on the frontline of our current health crisis.
“The McGowan Labor Government needs to send a clear signal to the union strikers that this sort of industrial action will not be tolerated. A failure to do this will encourage a rash of similar union strike action from other public sector workers.”
