When a power line comes down in a storm or telegraph poles are burnt to a cinder during a bushfire, Jake Brown* is one of the orange clad workers who arrives on scene at all hours to get the power back up and running.
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But Mr Brown said he and his colleagues think it's no longer worth it to respond to call outs to get the lights back on.
Up to 1000 electricians and workers in the power industry will walk off the job on Thursday, amid ongoing negotiations over pay and conditions at the network that covers the Illawarra.
Workers from electrical utility Endeavour Energy and high voltage network manager TransGrid will converge on Endeavour Energy's head office in Parramatta, and are calling for a wage lift to matches the rapid rise in the cost of living.
Tara Koot, organiser at the Electrical Trades Union said bargaining with Endeavour Energy since October had stalled as workers were struggling to pay the bills with real wages going backwards.
"It's more about catching up than even getting ahead."
A spokesperson for Endeavour Energy said the company's proposal of raises of 5.25, 3.25 and 2.75 per cent for the next three years was "fair and reasonable".
"We do not believe the unions requested pay increases and other claims are sustainable," the spokesperson said. "They add significant costs to the business over the next three years, without any productivity or efficiency improvements."
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on Wednesday showed employee households had experienced the highest annual increase in the cost of living on record.
Expenses for employee households rose by 6.9 per cent in the past 12 months, largely due to the rapid increase in mortgage costs, an expense fewer retirees and pensioners had to pay.
The union is calling for eight per cent pay rises each year over the next three years, which would bring utility workers closer to their peers in the energy industry.
With a skills shortage in the build out of electricity infrastructure, workers are pocketing six figure salaries and double digit pay rises, something that Ms Koot said was not the case for Endeavour Energy workers.
"They're much worse off, compared to the rest of the electrical industry, they're pretty far behind even the power distribution industry."
Mr Brown said what was once a job for life is now a stepping stone, as the company trains fewer apprentices and colleagues leave for better paying jobs in other utilities or elsewhere in the energy industry.
"There's a massive exodus and we haven't got many field staff left," he said.
"We're understaffed and the network isn't being looked after the way it should."
The industrial action will only affect planned maintenance, with workers on call for an emergency.
Endeavour Energy said it respected the workers' right to strike, it felt greater progress could be made in continued negotiations.
"Our discussions on the enterprise agreement continue and we are committed to working constructively with our employees throughout this process."
If the workers were successful in receiving an eight per cent increase to their pay packet, Mr Brown said this would give workers some relief.
"It would reduce mortgage stress for a lot of the young blokes and young families and provide relief for the guys living week to week."
*Name has been changed.
