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Category: States and Territories / Unions / Business, Economics and Finance / Industry / Electricity Energy and Utilities

Plan to redeploy sacked Hazelwood workers 'light at end of tunnel'

Friday, 10 Mar 2017 08:16:09 | Stephanie Chalkley-Rhoden

The Government said it may also be able to extend the transfer scheme to contractors. (ABC News: Guy Stayner)

About 150 "highly skilled" Hazelwood power station workers will be able to transfer to other electricity generators after the Victorian coal-fired plant closes in the coming weeks, the State Government says.

Premier Daniel Andrews said a $20 million scheme would help the workers move to employers such as nearby Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B, which are run by AGL.

The Government said early retirement packages would be offered to eligible staff to create vacancies for the transferring workers.

Last year the French owner of Hazelwood, ENGIE, announced it would close the power plant at the end of this month, because it was no longer economically viable.

About 450 employees and 300 contractors work at the plant.

Mr Andrews said the deal was "the first of its kind" in Australia.

"This was really important to get this done before Hazelwood closed so that we can give, to at least 150 workers, the certainty and the confidence that they need that their jobs are safe, their contribution is valued," he said.

The Premier said the transfer strategy could be extended to help other workers affected by the closure.

"Now that we have this framework in place, there is the potential for some contractors who are working at Hazelwood who can transfer across to do similar work at the remaining electricity generation companies."

'Light at the end of the tunnel'

Ben Hermens, a fitter and turner by trade, has worked at Hazelwood for three years. He grew up in the Latrobe Valley and his father works at AGL.

Ben Hermens Photo: Ben Hermens said Hazelwood had not been an enjoyable place to work after the closure announcement. (ABC News)

He said he will find other work as a fly-in-fly-out worker until a place becomes available at one of the other power plants.

"It's the light at the end of the tunnel that we were all hoping for," he said.

"Ever since the announcement there's been a lot of heartache at work, and it hasn't been the best area to be around.

"But to have an announcement like this, and look like the Latrobe Valley's future is very bright, it's great news."

Bill Simpson is third-generation in the Gippsland power industry and said there was now a sense of hope.

"It's great news, hopefully I'm one of the lucky ones. We're not all going … it's better than what we had," he said.

"We were all pretty negative and not very hopeful the transition would get up.

"It was such a big thing to get up, but to the union's credit, and the Government, they've done it.

Scheme will have 'national implications': AGL

The Hazelwood power station. Photo: The Hazelwood power station will close at the end of March. (ABC News: Nicole Asher)

Doug Jackson from AGL said it was a "landmark" outcome.

"It's new, it's innovative, it's an opportunity, we think, that recognises the skills and experience of a very experienced workforce," he said.

"Our industry, as you know, is in a transformation. It's transitioning. How we learn to do it here will have implications for us as a nation."

Mr Andrews said it would be up to the workers themselves whether they wanted to quit and make way for those at Hazelwood, and no one would be asked to leave.

At the time of the closure announcement last year, ENGIE said about 250 workers would remain until 2023 to manage the site's rehabilitation.

Funding for the transfers will come out of the $266 million rescue package set aside to help the Latrobe Valley cope with the loss of the power station.

Mr Andrews praised the cooperation between the unions, power companies and the workforce during negotiations, which were led by former federal Labor frontbencher Simon Crean.

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