Workers filled parliament lawns in Hobart over pay and conditions
Public sector unions have vowed to escalate their campaign of industrial action if the Premier does not personally intervene in enterprise bargaining negotiations.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PUBLIC sector unions have vowed to escalate their campaign of industrial action if Premier Jeremy Rockliff does not personally intervene in enterprise bargaining negotiations.
Thousands of state servants walked off the job on Wednesday afternoon to attend rallies around the state in pursuit of their claims for wage rises and improvements in working conditions.
Schools emptied and, for the first time ever, paramedics staffing ambulances refused non-urgent calls as workers including teachers, firefighters, paramedics, child protection workers, park rangers and those from across the sector walked off the job.
In Hobart thousands packed onto the lawns outside Parliament House to show their displeasure with months of failed negotiations with the government.
Ambulances, fire engines and police cars with emergency lights blazing lined the road outside the park.
The meeting passed a resolution demanding the Premier personally intervene to resolve the dispute or face an escalating campaign of industrial action.
“If asking nicely doesn’t cut it, this is what we have to do,” Unions Tasmania Secretary Jessica Munday told the crowd.
“If you’re negotiating in good faith you generally don’t have ten thousand of your workers out on the grass.”
Teacher’s assistant Marisa Mastrocola told the crowd she was one of many considering her future, particularly in light of the long summer stand down without pay.
“Thirteen years I have been doing this and I have had enough,” she said.
“I love my role as a teacher’s assistant, but passion doesn’t pay my bills.”
Secondary teacher Laura Gee told the 150 or so public sector workers gathered at West Beach in Burnie she did not want to become a statistic — like the 40 per cent of teachers who did not make it past five years in the profession due to burn-out.
Ms Gee, who came to Tasmania from Brisbane, said it was time to increase pay and decrease the workloads to stop the profession haemorrhaging talented teachers.
“Teachers are at breaking point and students are also missing out,” she said.
The rally heard cheap housing in Tasmania could once be used as a recruitment tool but that was no longer the case.
Health and Community Services Union secretary Tim Jacobson said little progress was being made to meet the deadline for fresh enterprise bargaining agreements.
“The message today to this government — very clearly — is that if they don’t sort out this particular claim that they’re in for a Christmas of pretty heavy industrial action,” he said.
“Today was a shot across the government’s bow.
“They should now listen, put competent negotiators in front of us so we can actually get these issues resolved.”
Community and Public Sector Union state general secretary Thirza White said workers were determined to update working conditions and raise salaries from the bottom of the national league table.
“Today is an absolute huge turnout from all public sector union members and I think it really shows the depth of their concern about the growing recruitment and retention process we’re seeing in the public sector sector, that’s really compromising the services that we can deliver to Tasmanians.”
Ms Munday said only further negotiation in good faith would resolve the dispute.
“The premier will need to revise his ‘final’ offer. Negotiation is a back and forth.
“For the premier to put it on the table and say its final as if that is going to resolve things is just unhelpful.
“And I hope I really hope that he looks at the depth and the breadth of public sector workers who’ve turned out across the state today and reconsiders.”
‘There must be a better way’: Premier condemns strike
PREMIER Jeremy Rockliff has condemned strike action by public sector unions and says pay rises mirroring inflation are unaffordable.
Union members will walk off the job today for a series of rallies statewide in support of enterprise bargaining claims for improved pay and conditions.
Mr Rockliff says pay rises that accounted for inflation would cost the state budget $2.4bln across the four years of the forward estimates.
The government is offering 3.5 per cent in the first year of new agreements, followed by three per cent in each of the following two years.
“My view is disrupting services, disrupting education, disrupting the lives of Tasmanians, there must be a better way for the union to sit down and negotiate in good faith with government,” he said.
“No government around the country is offering wage increases at the current rate of inflation. It is simply unaffordable, I won’t break the budget. I will not break the budget and break services for the Tasmanian people.
“You’re today advocating for wages at Hobart CPI was 8.6 per cent which is 6.1 per cent over the current budget allocation.
“That would conservatively cost the budget some $2.4 billion, I’m advised, over the budget forward estimates and that would fuel inflation so exacerbating the problem, not only for our public service, but of course every other employee across Tasmania.
“That is irresponsible.”
CPSU General Secretary Thirza White said the government was not treating its workforce
“We stop work and take action because we have a government that won’t listen to the problems public sector workers are facing in providing Tasmanians crucial services.
“We have a worsening recruitment and retention crisis and if urgent action isn’t taken service failures will be widespread.
“Premier Rockliff wants to walk both sides of the street.
“First he tells our members how much he appreciates their hard work and dedication and then he rewards them will a pay offer that will see their real pay fall significantly.
“They don’t deserve this and their families don’t deserve this.”
Labor leader Rebecca White asked how the government could claim to be negotiating in good faith at the same time as having presented a final offer.
“Two weeks ago you declared you’re making your final offer to Tasmania’s overworked under resourced and underpaid public sector workers,” she said.
“Clearly your final offer isn’t going to cut it with workers taking widespread industrial action today because of your failure to go anywhere near addressing the resourcing and workload issues they’ve been raising in their claims for months now.
“How can you continue to claim that you’re negotiating in good faith like you did yesterday and like you’ve just done again now, if you’re already if you’ve already given your final offer?”
School’s out: How Tassie public sector strikes will affect services
Schools will close and paramedics will stop work on Wednesday, as thousands of state servants walk off the job in what’s been foreshadowed as the biggest public sector strike in Tasmania in four years.
Teachers, health workers, firefighters, cleaners, child safety officers and other public servants are set to go on strike, calling for better pay and conditions as multiple enterprise bargaining agreements come up for renewal.
The state government has made a final offer to public sector unions of a 3.5 per cent pay rise in the first year, followed by two annual increases of 3 per cent and annual payments of $1000 for two years and $500 in the third.
Unions, however, are seeking not only a pay rise in line with CPI, which is currently at 8.6 per cent, but also fixes around recruitment, retention, and workloads.
“To be honest, for a number of members, the frustration has been building for a long time and some we’ve had to hold back from taking this action,” Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday told the Mercury.
“So I think there’s a good feeling amongst members that it is something that’s necessary and something they’re hopeful will really demonstrate to the government how deeply they feel about the need to resolve the various issues across the sector.”
State primary and high schools across Tasmania will close at 12.15pm. However, colleges, King Island District High School, and Scottsdale High School, which are holding Year 11 and 12 exams, will remain open for exams only.
Buses will run on their usual timetable in the morning and afternoon.
Australian Education Union (AEU) Tasmania president David Genford said teachers and school support staff had “no choice but to take action” against the government’s “unacceptable neglect of public education”.
“Educators are burning out and students are missing out every day because schools and colleges aren’t being met with the required resources needed to meet student needs,” he said.
Education Minister Roger Jaensch was scathing of the union’s action, saying it was “nothing but posturing for the sake of it”.
“Our final wages offer to unions is fair, affordable and reasonable, and gives our valued State Service employees a pay rise, cost of living relief and improved conditions,” he said.
“The AEU’s actions will disrupt not only students and their learning, but also families and their workplaces, many of which are small businesses.”
Paramedics across the state will strike from 1-4pm, refusing to take on non-urgent jobs such as hospital-to-hospital transfers.
Community and Public Sector Union general secretary Thirza White said public servants were walking off the job because the government “won’t listen to the problems … workers are facing in providing Tasmanians crucial services”.
PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKE RALLIES – WHERE YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:
Hobart
Parliament Lawns, 1:45pm
Launceston
Civic Square, 1:45pm
Devonport
Rooke Street Mall, 1:45pm
Burnie
West Beach Foreshore, 1:45pm
Join the conversation
Threats heard in court to ‘wipe half of Tunnack out’
Around 30 voicemails sent in June 2023 by the alleged Baden Hall arsonist were heard in court on Wednesday, with threats made to “wipe half of Tunnack out” and “set fire to the shearing shed”.
Read more
‘Extremely concerning’: Public school attendance rates revealed
The attendance rates in Tasmania’s public high schools has been described as “extremely concerning” as new data lays bare the level of absences recorded in the government education sector.
Read more