Public sector - It's time to campaign

MOST public sector agreements expired on 30 June this year.

This includes the major Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement (PSUWA), the allied health agreement and others except the nurses agreement that expires on 30 June 2023. For nearly all of them we've given the government comprehensive logs of claims that outline solutions to the current health crisis. If they're genuine about fixing our health system, opening up more beds, and stopping the frequent bed closures due to lack of staff they must pay wages that are competitive with other states. If they want to keep people out of hospital or get people home sooner, they must invest in allied health professionals and support staff who do exactly that. But the government is dragging its feet with those expired workplace agreements and is failing to meet at all, or regularly, and either won't respond to your logs of claims or make an actual offer. They're also refusing to pay the incentive payment that was given to health workers in NSW, Victoria and WA to reward loyal staff for the incredible work they’ve done to get their state health systems through this pandemic. Then, out of nowhere, we heard the Premier offer $2000 to workers who’ve left the service in last 12 months if they have an AHPRA professional registration and will return to work. It's no wonder a lot of workers were rightfully outraged. This is the government that’s failed to meet and negotiate in good faith around most of the public sector agreements. This is the government that’s refused to pay incentive payments to current staff - the loyal ones across our health and human services who’ve worked through the past two terrible years. It’s insulting that $2000 is being offered to staff who left, but not to those who stayed and put in the hard yards – can you feel the love? We've met with the Premier and made it clear that workers won’t be taken for granted like this. We're now ramping up actions across the state including stop work meetings. Now is the time to stand up to this government that's ignoring you Now is the time to act to ensure you get a decent pay rise and better conditions. You need a pay rise that keeps up with the increasing inflation and Tasmania needs pay rates that are competive with other states.