The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is calling on political parties to adopt their new policy to lower energy bills and protect manufacturing by bringing the electricity gentailers back into public ownership.
The plan would involve government using the dividends from its shares in the gentailers to purchase the remaining shares until it reaches full public ownership.
"Aotearoa needs an electricity system that produces affordable renewable energy to support a thriving economy and lower household living costs," said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.
"The partial privatisation of our electricity system has prevented growth in our generation capacity. A state of manufactured scarcity has delivered rising energy bills for households and businesses and huge dividends to gentailer shareholders.
"Many workers are making difficult decisions about what to sacrifice so that they can keep the heating on. We are also seeing worksites across the country closing due to rising energy bills.
"Treating the electricity market as a source of profit has led to us this point. We must instead treat the market as a public utility that serves the interests of working people," said Wagstaff.
"We need to fundamentally change our approach to delivering electricity. Electricity supply and demand should be managed as an economic development and industrial policy problem - not a revenue maximising concern for shareholders," said NZCTU Economist and Policy Director Craig Renney.
"The NZCTU proposes that government should use its dividends to progressively bring the gentailers back into full public ownership. It should also use its power as a major shareholder to direct the gentailers to support the wider economy and network resiliency. Bringing on new generation and delivering the green energy transition need to be priorities.
"If we don't tackle this problem, New Zealand will continue to deindustrialise at pace, meaning the loss of good jobs and incomes for many workers. New Zealanders will also face ever rising electricity bills, deepening the cost-of-living crisis.
"The choice now rests with political parties. They need to deliver bold change to lift our economic performance and make energy more affordable. The alternative is to continue with a system that is driving deindustrialisation and energy poverty," said Renney.
