HACSU’s Robbie Moore says patients’ not at risk when work bans escalate
Health workers in Tasmania will step up their industrial action in pursuit of stalled negotiations on wages and conditions. Read the latest.
The state’s health union plan to escalate industrial action from Wednesday if the government does not resume negotiations on wages and conditions.
The Health and Community Services Union will send a six-page letter to the head of the state service on Monday morning outlining the action which includes bans on administrative tasks, cleaning, answering phones and collecting blood samples and linen.
HACSU state secretary Robbie Moore has stressed that the lives of patients will not be at risk.
“Members across the state have endorsed the escalation of their Industrial Action as it has been made clear by the Premier that he, as their employer, has no intention of treating them with respect and providing them with a 3-year offer that addresses their wages and conditions claims,” he wrote.
“Our members will continue the industrial action that has already been notified in my letter to you dated 17 October 2025.”
Mr Moore details the new industrial action in the South, North and North-West which he says “will continue indefinitely until further notice”.
The action is by HACSU members including allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, dental officers, radiation therapists and general staff.
He said the new bans would largely “inconvenience management”.
“We will not be putting patient’s lives at risk,” Mr Moore said. “This is not something we are doing lightly.
“In the end it will be in the patient’s interest because at the moment we cannot attract and retain the staff that are needed to run our hospital and health system.
“We have to take this action and others will have to do some of the work of our members.”
Mr Moore said the bans would affect some revenue collections.
“We’re starting to affect some revenue and doing things that inconvenience management.
“There are different bans at different hospitals and we make no apologies because our log of claims was lodged in March and here we are in November with the next pay rise due.
“Workers are very angry, they have had enough and they want certainty.”
Australian Education Union Tasmanian president David Genford said the union’s executive would decide after next week whether to step up industrial action.
“One thing we will say is that we’re not going to affect college exams. We want to give a surety to students and families that any future action will see colleges exempt, so they won’t miss any more school,” he said.
“We just want to have legitimate negotiations really.”
Health Minister Bridget Archer said on Sunday the government wanted healthcare workers and the public sector to have a pay rise before Christmas.
“That’s why we’ve made that 3 per cent rollover offer while we continue to negotiate in good faith with those healthcare workers,” she said.
“We would like them to take that offer up and then continue to have those negotiations over the course of the next period.”
A government spokesman said the government “looks forward to resuming good faith negotiations following the end of stop work action”.
“We urge unions with work bans in place to lift those bans so that discussions can continue,” he said.
Thousands of public servants, including teachers, stopped work last week and rallying across the state urging the government offer a better deal in enterprise bargaining negotiations.
