Think Labor’s on your side? There’s no guarantee.

I used to think that having a Labor government meant our jobs were safe. I’ve been working as a power network maintainer for 12 years and I’ve seen first hand the deterioration of NSW public services under Labor.

Not only have workplace conditions and safety suffered but the threat of privatisation still looms over our heads. Being in the public sector used to mean having your job for life. It used to mean you knew where you stood. But where do we stand now?

Keep power in public hands

I’ve worked in the private and the public sector and I know where I’d rather be. The case against privatization is clear. When a company seeks profit inevitably some things get left by the wayside. Conditions can be sacrificed, job security can go and things like training can be fast tracked all in pursuit of the bottom line.

For the work we do, the maintenance of our overhead power networks, this would mean apprentices don’t get adequate training to begin with. Then, even once people become qualified they can be asked to work outside their skill set without being retrained. We’re already seeing this happen and it’s frightening.

The government shouldn’t sell off public assets simply because they’re not theirs to sell. Public services belong to the people and it’s about time Labor remembered that. When did public services become a problem rather than a solution?

If I could tell the government one thing it would be to get off their arses and start looking after the public sector. I don’t care who’s in government as long as they get on with running the state. A better state.