The Hodgman Government has got the Budget back on track and back in the black through careful and disciplined management.
The public sector has worked hard to implement the Government’s long-term Plan for Tasmania and we believe they deserve a fair and affordable pay rise.
That’s why we have offered a two per cent pay rise, locked in existing conditions and offered improvements to conditions in areas like additional leave for public servants suffering from family violence.
Our offer provides real wages growth in excess of inflation, is over thirty per cent higher than the rates of increase on offer in other jurisdictions, delivers certainty for public sector employees and enables them to plan with confidence because, if accepted, they would receive their pay rise by Christmas.
We hope that the public sector will support this offer.
Unfortunately, the proposals that the unions have put on the table are simply unaffordable.
Even a once-off one per cent increase in employee expenses across the public sector would cost around $100 million over the next four years.
If other unions made similar claims for agreements that are due to be renegotiated, then the cost would be around $180 million over a four year period and that simply is unaffordable.