Snowy 2.0 workers have launched a 24-hour strike, halting operations at Australia’s largest renewable energy project in protest over pay disparities with their counterparts in Melbourne.
The industrial action comes after Italian contractor Webuild refused to match the pay rates it offers to tunnelling workers on Melbourne’s North East Link project, despite those workers returning home each night while Snowy 2.0 employees endure long shifts and remote living conditions.
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) NSW Secretary Tony Callinan criticised Webuild’s approach to negotiations, stating: “Webuild wasted the first 10 weeks of negotiations by refusing to engage, they didn’t respond at all to the log of claims the AWU put to them on behalf of our 1000 odd members in mid January.”
Callinan explained the frustration fuelling the strike, adding: “Our members have had enough of the games, that’s why they’re taking 24 hours of protected industrial action on Wednesday the 20th.”
The union is demanding equal pay for equal work, highlighting the unique challenges faced by Snowy 2.0 workers.
“All our members want is to be paid the same money for the same work as those working for the same company in Melbourne on the North East Link project,” Callinan said.
“And those members get to go home each night to their families.”
He further emphasised the harsh conditions, noting: “Those working on Snowy 2.0 live and work in the wilderness of the Snowy Mountains in the middle of winter and when they’re not underground tunnelling, they’ve confined to spartan work camps.”
The strike underscores growing unrest among workers at major infrastructure projects, as calls for fair pay and improved conditions continue across the sector.
Snowy 2.0 is Australia’s largest committed renewable energy project, designed to link the Tantangara and Talbingo dams via 27 kilometres of tunnels and a new underground power station to provide 2,200 megawatts of on-demand energy and large-scale storage for the National Electricity Market.
By using excess renewable energy to pump water uphill for storage and releasing it during peak demand, Snowy 2.0 will help stabilise the grid, lower emissions, and support Australia’s transition to a low-carbon future.