The Australian Services Union (ASU) has hailed the departure of Sydney Water Managing Director Roch Cheroux as a victory for workers, calling it a long-overdue opportunity to reset the workplace, end wasteful spending, and restore fair treatment for workers.
Cheroux, who led the publicly owned utility since 2019, was appointed by the former NSW Coalition Government with a clear agenda to privatise Sydney Water. Cheroux’s tenure saw an explosion of outsourcing, relentless attacks on workers’ rights, and a workplace culture that reached breaking point.
“Sydney Water is a vital public asset, yet under Cheroux’s watch, it has been hollowed out. Worker morale has plummeted, wages and conditions have been under siege, and taxpayer money has been squandered on private consultants. Instead of investing in a skilled internal workforce, Sydney Water has increasingly relied on an expensive and secretive panel of preferred contractors, some linked to Cheroux’s previous employers,” ASU NSW & ACT Secretary Angus McFarland said.
During Cheroux’s tenure, Sydney Water workers faced relentless efforts to slash wages and conditions, despite already struggling with cost-of-living pressures. The ASU led the fightback, with workers turning out in record numbers to reject what would have been the worst enterprise agreement in the water industry.
“Cheroux’s departure must be the first step toward genuine reform at Sydney Water,” McFarland said.
The ASU as the union for Sydney Water workers, is calling on the Board of Sydney Water and NSW Government to ensure:
- A workplace culture reset – a commitment from the Board that the next Managing Director will be instructed to be more respectful and collaborative with Sydney Water’s unionised workforce.
- An end to excessive executive pay – slashing the $800,000 salary for the next Managing Director.
- A crackdown on outsourcing – cutting wasteful consultant spending and rebuilding Sydney Water’s internal workforce.
“The Minns Government has enshrined Sydney Water’s public ownership into the constitution, but the backdoor privatisation of jobs and expertise must stop. Workers are ready to rebuild a stable, constructive and positive relationship with a new Managing Director at Sydney Water, and we expect the new Managing Director to do the same with its workforce” McFarland said.
Media contact: Sofie Wainwright 0403 920 301