Goulburn-Murray Water, Lower Murray Water, Southern Rural Water and Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water have come together in reinforcing that their staff are here to support customers and community members, but have a zero-tolerance approach to aggression towards team members.
All these companies have staff in many customer-facing roles, from roles out in the field conducting maintenance to people working in contact centres.
G-MW distributions services manager Greg Shannon said staff were there to assist customers and had the right to a safe workspace.
“Whether an employee is on someone’s property to resolve a maintenance issue, or is talking to a customer on the phone, they are here to help,” he said.
“We understand some customers are currently in stressful situations due to the dry weather, but threats and abuse are never acceptable.”
Rural water corporation staff may sometimes need to conduct out-of-hours maintenance work on private property, including works on meters and flume gates.
While staff will always seek to notify landholders in advance, that may not always be possible, but staff will always wear uniforms and have identification on them.
LMW manager, strategy and communication Owen Russell asked customers to be understanding in these situations.
“We expect our staff to always treat customers and each other with courtesy and respect and in return, we ask that customers treat our staff in the same way,” he said.
Support information is available for irrigators on Agriculture Victoria’s website, at tinyurl.com/3ps8fp6k
Customers experiencing financial hardship are encouraged to contact their local water corporation to discuss payment plans or entitlement adjustments.
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