Essential Energy will almost certainly be sold off after next year's NSW election and two hundred jobs in Dubbo will be in danger if the government gets its way, according to Stop the Sell Off.
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The union-led campaign group was in Dubbo yesterday to talk to 278 Essential Energy employees and his forecast for their future is grim.
"The National Party have pushed the rock off the cliff. They allowed this sale to go ahead but all they have done is delay the sale of Essential Energy. It gives the Nationals the chance to say they have had a win but it will be sold too," Electrical Trades Union secretary Steve Butler said.
Mr Butler said the decision to stop Essential Energy from taking on board any new apprentices in the first half of 2015 is an obvious move by the state government to prepare it for sale.
"What I have seen, travelling around to depots and holding meetings is a sense of disbelief and the morale of workers is as low as I've ever seen it," he said.
"Their opinion is, and we share it, that Essential Energy will be sold.
"The state government has said it will take the sale to the election but [Premier] Mike Baird has done everything except sign the contract."
The proposal from the state government involves a 99-year lease of the network. It is estimated the government could profit by as much as $20 billion but Mr Butler said most of the money will go to projects in Sydney and rural areas would see almost no benefit.
"What we will see here is a sugar hit of income, and most of that will go to Sydney. Dubbo won't see much from it, probably a roundabout. What Dubbo will get is job losses, poorer service and higher prices," Mr Butler said.
"There are 278 Essential Energy employees in the area and based on what we saw when Victoria went through privatisation, as many as 200 of those could lose their jobs.
Dubbo MP Troy Grant was unavailable for comment.