Level 1 ASPs

UPDATE ON:

Disappointingly, the ETU is conducting industrial action following months of good faith bargaining. Essential Energy continues to pursue an agreement that recognises the hard work of our employees, while balancing our community’s expectations around energy costs.

Last week the ETU communicated its intention to take industrial action from 17 November 2021. On Thursday 18 and Friday 19 November, Essential Energy received further notices from the ETU on protected industrial action. These notices include:

• An unlimited number of bans on issuing access permits and field access authorities to non-Essential Energy staff commencing 12am Tuesday 23 November through to midnight Thursday 25 November 2021.
• A work stoppage for 12 hours on Thursday 25 November from 6am – 6pm
• An unlimited ban on locking systems in the period of 8am to 11am each day, commencing Thursday 25 November and repeated on each day thereafter. This means that participating crews will not unlock any devices including phones to answer calls, iPads to conduct key work activities, vehicles or gates and buildings.

The ETU-led industrial action is taking place during the early phase of the bushfire season and commencement of storm season. This action makes it more difficult for small business owners, developers, famers, landowners, Councils and other groups in our rural and regional communities as they try to recover from the detrimental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Essential Energy has reprioritised planned work to ensure urgent and critical work can be performed as required, to reduce the risk of outages not being responded to in a timely and safe manner. Daily project assessment continues to minimise the impact for developers and contractors across regional NSW.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the action being led by the ETU will have unavoidable disruptions for customers, ASPs and contractors.

Safety, for our customers, employees, contractors and the wider community, remains our number one priority. We will continue to update you on relevant developments as they occur. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and support.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation. View this communication via Essential Engagement .

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

Background

The Electrical Safety Rules (ESRs) are revised from time to time (at least every three years) to reflect the outcomes of end user feedback, incident investigations, improvement notices, safety briefs, organisational changes and industry developments including new technologies. Issue 19 of the ESRs came into effect on 11 November 2021.

As you are all aware, ASPs are not authorised to install AP and as such, this communication is for you information only.

Amendment to Clause 7.2 General Requirements for Access to HV Exposed Conductors

In response to feedback received by the Electrical Safety Office (ESO) regarding the impracticality of maintaining required safe approach distances to lower level HV circuit conductors in situations where there is a need to apply Access Permit Earths to upper circuit conductors prior to the issue of an Access Permit, issue 19 contains an amendment to Clause 7.2.

This will allow authorised workers to safely access all circuit conductors for the purpose of applying Access Permit Earths prior to issuing the Access Permit.

What do you need to do?

1. Download and review Safety Brief SB-1000 CEOP8030 Electrical Safety Rules Minor Amendment located on the Document Library and Essential Engagement.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. View this communication via Essential Engagement.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is happening?

Please be aware Session 2 has been rescheduled to Thursday 2nd December 2021. If this new date is suitable, please register on the links below or you can still register for Session 1 and 2.

We encourage you to participate in these forums. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss our plans and initiatives, and to ask questions or raise issues with Essential Energy team members.

Dates and times

Click on one of the options below to reserve your preferred session (all sessions will have the same content).

• Session 1: Tuesday, 23 November 2021 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
• Session 2: Wednesday, 1 December 2021 from 09:00am to 11:00am
• Session 3: Thursday, 2 December 2021 from 11:00am to 1:00pm

A confirmation email will be sent to you with the Zoom meeting details once you have registered.

What do you need to do?

1. Select the session date above and reserve your spot to attend one of our forums.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. View this communication via Essential Engagement.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

UPDATE ON:

• Potential risks to the operation of Essential Energy’s electricity network from protected industrial action planned by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU)
• Steps we are taking to mitigate the impact for our more than 875,000 customers across rural and regional NSW and parts of southern QLD.

Potential industrial action

Following approval by the Fair Work Commission of the ETU’s application for a Protected Action Ballot Order, a ballot of ETU members on whether they approve the taking of industrial action closed on 4 November 2021, with members voting in favour of industrial action.

On 11 November 2021, Essential Energy received notices from the ETU of their intention to take industrial action effective from 17 November 2021. The ETU notification cited twenty different actions that may be taken, including a one-hour and 15-minute stoppage from 9:00-10:16am on 17 November 2021.

In addition to the defined work stoppage there are a range of other indefinite or periodic bans in place. These include limitations on:

• Travelling outside normal working hours.
• Use of a specified range of information technology programs and applications.
• Certifying and inspecting Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) designs and projects.
• Verification of life support customers for planned outages.
• Field staff switching – meaning that power will not be switched off, preventing certain planned works from going ahead.

The ETU industrial action notice also includes a number of indefinite actions requesting that employees undertake a range of communications activities including distributing ETU/CEPU industrial campaign-related material to members of the public and Essential Energy staff; and employees providing their views concerning industrial action with members of the community and media.

Some of the cited actions include a Safety Commitment, whereby relevant employees will be ready, willing and able to perform unplanned work that, if not performed imminently, would create a serious and imminent threat to human life.

It is regrettable that the ETU’s proposed industrial action coincides with the early phase of bushfire season and threatens to extend through the peak summer period. It also comes as our rural and regional communities seek to recover from the detrimental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Steps to mitigate network risks

Essential Energy has developed plans designed to ease the impact of industrial action for our residential and business customers, with the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers and regional communities the priority. We have reprioritised planned work to ensure urgent and critical work can be performed and to mitigate the risk of fault and emergency work not being responded to in a timely and safe manner. We do expect unavoidable disruptions which could adversely impact the network and the time taken to restore power to customers during an unplanned outage.

Enterprise Agreement negotiations

The industrial action by the ETU comes after months of negotiations on Essential Energy’s 2021 Enterprise Agreement. The ETU and other unions continue to pursue more than 50 individual claims which, if fully implemented, would increase costs by more than 10 per cent.

Essential Energy’s offer to employees includes a 7.5% increase to wages and allowances over the next three years, plus a 0.75% increase through improvements to conditions. The offer includes no loss of employment conditions, with every element representing an overall improvement on the conditions in the 2018 Agreement. The combined unions have rejected this offer.

Last month employees participated in an enterprise agreement ballot. 75 per cent of employees who voted in the ballot rejected the offer. We have reiterated to the unions our intention to provide fair and reasonable outcomes for our employees, customers and shareholders under the Enterprise Agreement. Essential Energy remains committed to ensuring a modern Enterprise Agreement that reflects the needs of employees while meeting our communities’ expectations for a safe, reliable and affordable supply of electricity and will continue to bargain in good faith with the ETU and other unions to achieve an acceptable outcome.

As we enter this uncertain period, please be assured that the safety of our customers, employees, ASPs, contractors and the wider community remains the number one priority for Essential Energy and we will be working to mitigate the impact of the ETU’s planned industrial action where we can. We will continue to update you on relevant developments as they occur.

What do you need to do?

• Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is Happening?

With easing of COVID-19 restrictions in NSW, refresher training is returning to normal and Essential Energy’s temporary three-month grace period for refresher training will no longer apply.

From 1 December 2021, evidence will be required of completed Unit of Competency’s (UOCs), inclusive of the practical component delivered by approved Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).

What do you need to do?

• Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
• View this communication via Essential Engagement at Essential Engagement

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

What is Happening?

Following an organisational restructure effective from 1 November 2021, David Wilson will be returning to our ASP team as Manager Distribution Connections, and your point of contact. He can be contacted via email: david.wilson@essentialenergy.com.au.

Hamish Wheatley has moved from ASP Connections and Quality and is now our Public Lighting and Unmetered Supply Manager.

What do you need to do?

1. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
2. View this communication via Essential Engagement.

Further Information

If you need further information or support, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is Happening?

To minimise the disruption to customers during the Christmas / New Year period, no planned interruptions with a customer impact will be scheduled from 20 December 2021 to 6 January 2022.  

Also Contestable Works will be closed during the same period with business resuming as normal from 4 January 2022. 

Minimal processing of emails/documentation or Asset Labels will occur from Contestable Works mailbox during the above mentioned period.

What do you need to do?

1. Review your planned interruption schedule for the dates above and work with your nominated Local Depot Switching Resource to reschedule where required.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information or support, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is happening?

To protect everyone’s health and safety, we’ll hold our next round of ASP engagement forums via Zoom, rather than face to face.

In this round, we’ll be covering a range of topics including safety, our BetterConnect project, Encroachments, Network GIS access, Design and Certification updates, Service Installation Review, Standards, and the Neara design tool.

We encourage you to participate in these forums. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss our plans and initiatives, and to ask questions or raise issues with Essential Energy team members.

Dates and times

Click on one of the options below to reserve your preferred session (all sessions will have the same content).

• Session 1: Tuesday, 23 November 2021 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
• Session 2: Thursday, 25 November 2021 from 11:00am to 1:00pm
• Session 3: Wednesday, 1 December 2021 from 09:00am to 11:00am

A confirmation email will be sent to you with the Zoom meeting details once you have registered.

What do you need to do?

1. Select the session date above and reserve your spot to attend one of our forums.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is Happening?

From 1 November 2021, a twenty-two (22) day lead time is required to reschedule an outage.

PLEASE NOTE: The process for new outage requests remains the same. Level 1 ASPs must submit an original completed CEOF6013 Notice of Required Outage/Connection form via email to contestableworks@essentialenergy.com.au as soon as practicable. Provided submission is a minimum of twenty-eight (28) days prior to the requested outage date, outage requests may be submitted at any time from commencement of construction. A longer lead time for an outage request will substantially increase the likelihood of securing the preferred commissioning date.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is Happening?

As a Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP), Essential Energy is required to operate a certified Asset Management System to ISO 55001 requirements.

A key component of certification is our Asset Management Policy Statement, which underpins our Asset Management System. This Statement:

• describe the principles that shape our approach to asset management, and
• represent our commitment to achieving the best outcomes from all of our assets.

What do you need to do?

1. Review CECP1004 – Asset Management Policy Statement located on our Document Library.
2. Note where the policy may apply to the work you do as part of the Asset Management System.
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.