A union official has blasted South Coast Liberal MPs for not protecting the jobs of Endeavour Energy workers.
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The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) fears extensive job losses will come from the proposed 99-year lease of 50.4 per cent of Endeavour Energy, along with 50.4 per cent of Ausgrid and all of Transgrid.
The legislation to allow the lease passed the lower house of State Parliament on Thursday.
ETU secretary Steve Butler said he was concerned Kiama MP Gareth Ward and South Coast MP Shelley Hancock didn't defend electricity workers in their electorate.
"Endeavour Energy is a major employer across the Illawarra and South Coast, with more than 300 local jobs based at Coniston, Spring Hill, Shellharbour, Nowra and Ulladulla," Mr Butler said.
"It is disappointing that not one Liberal Party MP bothered to stand up and fight to protect Illawarra jobs ahead of the government's electricity privatisation plans.
"The ETU is doing everything we can to ensure that strong employment protections, including Fred Nile's proposed five-year job guarantees, are secured prior to the legislation passing through the upper house next week.
"This job is made much more difficult when local MPs like Gareth Ward and Shelley Hancock refuse to stand up and fight for jobs in their local community."
Mr Butler claimed that inaction by Mr Ward and Mrs Hancock was putting "highly skilled local jobs" at risk.
"The only people that appear to be concerned about jobs in the Illawarra and South Coast are non-government MPs who we are hoping will push for amendments to the Liberals and Nationals' electricity privatisation legislation in the upper house to include local job guarantees," Mr Butler said.
A spokesman for Mrs Hancock, who serves as Speaker in the lower house, said the ETU needed to check its facts.
"As Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Speaker presided over the debate and the division and as such was not recorded in the votes and proceedings," the spokesman said.
"As Member for South Coast, Mrs Hancock has always, and will continue to stand up for her community directly with the Premier, ministers and in the government party room."
Mr Ward pointed out the union's fears were not related to the partial lease of the electricity networks but the decision of the independent Australian Energy Regulator to slash the operating budgets.
Mr Ward also suggested the ETU was to blame for the high cost of electricity to consumers, through member benefits such as a 26 per cent superannuation contribution.
"Of course I'm always concerned about jobs but not at the cost of jobs being preserved purely because of inefficiencies and largesse," Mr Ward said.
"We're fighting for efficiencies for every person who has an electricity contract and is concerned about rising power prices. One of the things that's led to rising power prices is a greedy ETU more concerned about its own membership than running an efficient business."