Illawarra electricians join second major strike as pay negotiations stall

Hundreds of Illawarra workers will join their colleagues from Western Sydney and other parts of NSW at the company's headquarters in Parramatta to put pressure on their employer to come back to the table with a better pay offer.

ETU secretary NSW/ACT Allen Hicks said workers were asking for a "fair and reasonable pay rise".

"The company's insulting offer doesn't come close to meeting the massive cost of living increases that workers have weathered in recent years."

The most recent offer from Endeavour Energy was voted down by workers in March, and last month, ETU members decided to ramp up industrial action.

The offer that was rejected included a $1000 sign on bonus, a 5.25 per cent pay rise in the first year, 3.25 per cent the year after and three percent the year after that. If the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher, the wage rise in 2025 and 2026 would match CPI.

The union is calling for eight per cent per year for the next three years plus a one per cent increase to super.

There are a raft of 65 other claims that are the subject of ongoing negotiations.

An Endeavour Energy spokesperson said the cost of the higher claims would have to be passed on.

"The cost of meeting these wage claims would ultimately be paid by 1.2 million electricity customers, already under pressure from rising cost of living, and result in industry job losses," the spokesperson said.

The union says its members are underpaid when compared to those working in similar roles in the energy sector and have to be on call for major blackouts and emergencies.

The Endeavour Energy spokesperson said it was "disappointed" that the union had continued industrial action since February.

"While we respect the union's action to have their voice heard; it is disappointing that the ETU has also declined to pause industrial action to ease the pressure on affected businesses who are not parties to the negotiation," they said.

"We remain committed to continuing negotiations with our unions and employees so we can reach an agreement on a new enterprise agreement that offers fair and sustainable wages for employees while constraining electricity costs for customers."