WA Parliament Question on Notice regarding employee numbers, redundancies, and associated costs at Horizon Power, Synergy/Verve, and Western Power during a restructuring process. The answers reveal details about job losses, redundancy payouts, and subsequent re-hiring of some employees as contractors.

AnsweredQoN 1121Legislative Council
Asked
6 May 2014
Portfolio
Energy

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Prior to the restructuring process, what was the total number of employees for: (a) Horizon Power; (b) Synergy and Verve; and (c) Western Power? (2) How many employees were
given redundancy packages during the restructuring process for: (a) Horizon Power; (b) Synergy and Verve; and (c) Western Power? (3) What was the cost of the
redundancy packages for: (a) Horizon Power; (b) Synergy and Verve; and (c) Western Power? (4) How much revenue has the
cut in the number of employees provided? (5) How many employees who
received redundancy packages have since been hired as contract workers and/or
consultants for: (a) Horizon Power; (b) Synergy and Verve; and (c) Western Power? (6) Regarding the answer to (5),
what was the total cost of hiring the contract workers and/or consultants? (7) Currently, what are the
total number of employees for: (a) Horizon Power; (b) Synergy and Verve; and (c) Western Power?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
24 June 2014
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy
Response time
49 days
(1)(a) 545.73 FTE as at October 2013
(b) 1090 as at 30 June 2013
(c) 3,392 (data provided is Western Power headcount and excludes 360 staff contracted to provide customer funded work, casuals, contractors and vacant positions).
(2)(a) 100 from Dec 2013 to end May 2014.
(b) 21 as at 3 June 2014
(c) 155
(3)(a) From Nov 2013 until May 2014, $11,274,985.33.
(b) $2.4m as at 3 June 2014
(c) approx. $17m
(4) The estimated labour cost saving, to Horizon Power, as a result of the reduction in the number of employee positions (including vacant positions) from Dec 2013 to June 2014 is $23 million pa.
Western Power's revenue is fixed as per its Access Arrangement. A reduction in the number of Western Power employees does not impact its revenue.
Synergy does not derive revenue from the decline in employee numbers.
(5)(a) 2 people
(b)  0
(c) Western Power has not directly hired any of the employees who received redundancy packages as contractors or consultants.
(6) Total cost, to Horizon Power, of hiring one contractor to end May 2014 was $3,787.50. The other contractor was paid $27,978 for services, now completed.
Not Applicable to Western Power and Synergy.
(7)(a) 443 FTE as at the end of April 2014
(b) 1035 as at 30 April 2014
(c) 3,301 (plus 216 employees from in-sourcing customer funded work from Future Grid Alliance with Transfield Services and excluding causals, contractors and vacant positions).

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more