The document was rejected by workplace delegates from across the state at a meeting in Sydney on Thursday. 

More than 50 Essential Energy delegates, representing colleagues from workplaces and depots across NSW, met to examine the agreement management provided to staff this week.

Electrical Trades Union secretary Steve Butler said the proposed agreement stripped employees of a range of conditions and outlined job cuts across the network.

He said clauses included cutting 800 full-time jobs, using forced redundancies; allowing unlimited job cuts from July 2018; a two-year wage freeze; and deeming all currently redeployed staff as “excess employees” and, if no position is immediately available for them, making them redundant.

The ETU and United Services Union, which represent Essential Energy workers, said the proposal was the latest in a series of savage cuts that threatened the electricity network’s ability to provide reliable and safe services to country areas.

“Since 2013, the number of Essential Energy employees across regional NSW has been slashed by more than 1000, and if this agreement is approved a further 800 jobs would be axed immediately,” Mr Butler said.

“Enterprise bargaining generally means that if you give something up, you get something in return, but it seems Essential Energy management thinks it’s a one-way street.”

USU energy manager Scott McNamara said workplace delegates had made clear that the proposal was unacceptable.

He said regional communities across NSW faced a double whammy with council amalgamations and electricity job cuts.

“Workplace delegates (have) reaffirmed their commitment to negotiating a new agreement in good faith and considering any proposal that contained reasonable options,” Mr McNamara said.