Stop Iemma’s sell-off of NSW energy! Keep public assets in public hands! Socialist Alliance

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 and 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