Stop Iemma’s sell-off of NSW energy!

Keep public assets in public hands!

The Socialist Alliance supports the Unions NSW campaign against the privatisation of the state’s electricity generation. Privatisation is a threat to our services, jobs, pockets and environment. But by working together, unionists, workers, students, political organisations an d the community at large can stop the Iemma government’s privatisation plans—just as we defeated the Carr Labor government’s attempt to sell off electricity in 1997 and the attempted privatisation of Snowy Hydro in 2006.

Here’s what we should all be doing:

• Sign and distribute the Unions NSW petition against the proposed privatisation (download from here)
• Discuss in our workplace and community the real costs of this latest attempt to sell one of our basic services (read Dr Sharon Beder’s submission for Unions NSW to the Owen Inquiry into Electricity Supply in NSW—download it from here )
• Support local rallies and public forums (see Green Left Weekly for details)
• Ask our union to call for a mass delegates meeting before Parliament resumes to discuss the next steps in the campaign (see model motion below)
• Campaign to stop the sale of other public assets targeted by Iemma—ferries, water, waste services, superannuation and Lotto.
  

Join the protest outside Parliament House, February 26!

Model Motion for union meetings
This meeting of [details of meeting]:
1. Supports the Unions NSW campaign against the threatened sell-off of power provision in NSW,
2. Calls on the [name of union] to support the campaign launched by the electricity delegates on December 19 last year (see below) and 3. Calls on Unions NSW to call for a mass delegates meeting of all unions before NSW
Parliament resumes to discuss the next steps in the campaign.

Together we defeated Work Choices,
Together we can defeat Iemma and Costa’s sell- off!

For more information: Bea Bassi 0411 614 495 (NSW Trade Union Committee) Steve O’Brien 0409 878 485 (Newcastle Socialist Alliance), Alex Bainbridge 0413 976 638 (NSW Socialist Alliance co- convener)

Public Assets Sold = Services Lost
Privatised Energy = Soaring Electricity Prices
Privatised Energy = Job Losses

Private Energy Providers = Increased Global Warming Threat
Electricity Delegates’ Motion (adopted by December 19, 2007 mass meeting convened by Unions NSW)

Electricity workers in NSW condemn and oppose the NSW government’s proposal to privatise the retail section of our industry and lease the generators to the private sector.The electricity industry belongs to the people of NSW. It is an essential service that should not be sold off to private companies. The NSW government does not have a mandate for the proposed reforms and said nothing about electricity privatisation at the 2007 state election.They do not have the right to change this important policy and sell off assets that belong to the people of our state.Selling and leasing the state’s electricity assets will result in workers losing their jobs and Australian electricity workers jobs being sent offshore. Families will pay more for their electricity, and services to households will be cut. Also privatisation will be bad for our environment as private companies have an incentive to sell more electricity to boost their profits.We demand that the NSW government cease all dealings to privatise the state’s electricity industry.

We commit to:

• Workplace meetings of electricity workers to endorse a campaign of opposition to the reforms; and
• Campaigning in the community to inform the public of the consequences of privatisation; and
• Holding public meetings, rallies and community events to highlight the dangers of electricity privatisation; and
• Working with Rights at Work groups throughout NSW to campaign against the proposed reforms; and
• Working with other community groups to from an alliance of organisations against privatisation; and
• Lobbying state Members of Parliament and campaigning in targetted marginal seats to reverse the proposed reforms; and
• Working within the Labor Party to highlight the damaging effects of the government’s proposal both electorally and socially.
• Unions NSW convening a meeting of public sector unions to discuss a broad public sector campaign against privatisation of government services.We believe that the government should keep electricity in the hands of the people of NSW.