WaterNSW cuts 300 workers, unions say ‘enough is enough’

Another NSW public sector organisation is carrying out significant job cuts, with Aussie unions claiming the reasoning does not add up.

The Australian Services Union (ASU) has lashed out at the decision of WaterNSW to axe close to 300 jobs from its 1,200 strong workforce, with ASU NSW and ACT secretary Angus McFarland labelling the decision as an “outrageous” and “devastating” blow.

“This decision to cut hundreds of essential water jobs is a devastating blow to the workers and the communities they serve each and every day. It’s outrageous that WaterNSW is slashing hundreds of jobs – about a third of its workforce – at a time when their expertise and labour have never been more essential,” said McFarland.

“The 300 workers who will lose their jobs are responsible for making sure our water supply is reliable and safe. They manage and maintain dams and other infrastructure to make sure water gets where it’s needed – whether that’s to communities, farms, or the environment.”

In a statement given to HR Leader, a WaterNSW spokesperson claimed that due to limited funding and the need to save costs, a fundamental reset was needed.

“… WaterNSW is in a financial situation with significantly reduced funding and will be unable to continue delivering all its current functions in the same way.

“To put the size of the challenge in numbers, we now need to find a further $80 million each year in cost savings.

“We are performing a fundamental reset of WaterNSW, becoming a leaner, smaller and more focused business … We are transforming our business by resetting our priorities, refocusing on our core purpose, simplifying how we operate …”

“Unfortunately, some staff will be impacted as part of this process. We are reducing the number of executives and senior managers by greater than 30 per cent, and we will reduce our total workforce by approximately 300 employees, commencing with a voluntary redundancy process.”

According to McFarland, the cost-saving fails to justify the significant cuts set to be undertaken.

“Claiming these cuts are about saving money doesn’t add up. Gutting the workforce now will only cost the state more in the long run …”

As previously reported by HR Leader, on 23 July, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) announced that they would be cutting around 950 roles across the NSW department.

According to the department, the changes are to ensure that “more resources are directed to core transport services in communities across the state”.

Both the ASU and the Public Service Association (PSA) have claimed that the ramped-up cuts to essential workers across the state are unacceptable given their role in regional communities.

“These are researchers who provided safe drinking water to communities in Lismore and northern NSW during recent flood events,” said PSA general secretary Stewart Little.

“These are people who work in flood mitigation to try and protect communities from one in 100 flood events like we saw hit Eugowra in 2022.

“You can’t [cut] jobs like this and expect it not to impact flood response or water quality.”