Workers held a four-hour stop-work meeting in Newcastle yesterday amid continued concerns of job security.

Maitland employees will hold a stop-work meeting on Thursday, April 8.

The Electrical Trades Union said the state government’s plan for a 99-year lease of its electricity assets would put question marks over 40 jobs in Maitland, 60 in Cessnock and 52 in Singleton - about half the Ausgrid workforce in these areas.

Workers want job security safeguards included in new employment contracts, but an agreement has not been reached.

ETU Hunter organiser Justin Page told the Mercury that the industrial action had been split between two dates to ensure there were no power supply interruptions for customers.

He said the Coalition’s re-election last weekend had intensified the need for Ausgrid to include job ­security measures in new employment contracts.

“The enterprise agreement negotiations are not progressing,” Mr Page said.

“We are not getting any closer [to an agreement].

“The Baird government is now saying it has a mandate to sell the infrastructure.

“If private investors take over, these employees want job security.”

The latest industrial action came after an initial stop-work meeting on March 3.

The ETU has offered to accept a reduced pay rise of 2.5 per cent for workers if job protection measures, such as a policy against forced redundancies, are maintained.

The last agreement expired in December and negotiations for a new arrangement began in September.

Ausgrid told the Mercury earlier this month that it could not resolve the ETU’s demands until the Australian Energy Regulator had approved the company’s final ­revenue figure in April.

The government could call for bids for 49 per cent of the electricity network as soon as May, when Parliament resumes.