Today, the Tasmanian Government has reached an in principle agreement with public sector unions on a revised one year agreement.
The one year agreement will see State Service employees receive a long overdue pay rise, a once off back payment and a sign on bonus when the agreements are registered.
The revised offer includes a 2.1 per cent per annum increase in wages, fully backdated, and a further increase of 0.25 per cent per annum from the date of registration of the agreement.
Tasmania’s State Service employees will also be eligible for a sign on bonus of up to $120.
The offer includes a commitment to continue negotiating on the final two years of the deal immediately. It has also been agreed that should an agreement not be able to be reached by 30 November 2019, the matter will be referred to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission. The Government and unions are working together on the Terms of Reference of arbitration if it is required.
Today’s breakthrough would not have been possible without the good faith shown by the Australian Nurses and Midwifery Federation. The ANMF’s example has been a catalyst for other Tasmanian public sector unions to come back to the table to negotiate for the benefit of their members.
Importantly, all ANMF members will be eligible for the improved terms of this revised agreement.
The Government has always believed that our hard working State Service employees deserve a fair and affordable pay rise.
We thank Tom Lynch and the leaders of the other public sector unions for coming back to the negotiating table, and we encourage them to put the new agreement to their members for a vote as soon as possible.