This week the United Services Union (USU) confirmed the forced termination of 36 workers, which are among the first of 600 the company plans to axe by 2018.

Those employees are located at areas such as Bathurst, Blayney, Dubbo, Orange and Narrabri. 

USU secretary Graeme Kelly said the organisation had been trying for two years to force Essential Energy to be up front about where the job losses would be. 

“I have no doubt in my mind that Leeton will be affected,” he said. 

“They have a blue print and that is what they are working towards. 

“The USU and Electrical Trades Union have spent half a million dollars trying to stop this. The whole situation is disgraceful.”

The company has already cut at least five jobs in Leeton in the past year when it closed its office space in Pine Avenue. 

Essential Energy’s chief executive officer John Cleland said a workplace determination decision by the Fair Work Commission late last month now allowed the business to continue with its reform of operations. 

“The workplace determination decision includes the provision of involuntary redundancies up to a maximum of 600 to June 30,  2018 where Essential Energy determines that roles are no longer required,” he said.

“The Fair Work Commission recognised in its decision that this brings our business into line with market realities.

“Essential Energy has no immediate plans to implement the involuntary redundancy provisions.”

Mr Kelly said the fight was far from over and he called on Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli to join the outcry. 

“The Nationals say they are working in the best interests of those in the bush and regional areas, but they’ve failed to act on this,” he said. “We wil take this fight back to parliament in the New Year. The National Party needs to get behind its regional people on this.”