28 October 2022

Jeremy Rockliff, Premier

Final wages offer made to unions

The Government has today made a final wages offer to unions that is fair, affordable, and will deliver a wage increase for our hard-working State Service employees.

The offer appropriately reflects cost of living pressures and concerns around attraction and retention within the Tasmania State Service (TSS).

The offer includes:

• A 3.5 per cent wage increase in the first year, 3 per cent in the second year, 3 per cent in the third year;
• A $1000 (pro rata) to all TSS employees in the first year, $1000 (pro rata) in the second year and $500 (pro rata) in the third year; and
• a further payment for employees paid up to the top of General Stream Band 3, which will be $500 into the base salary, a one-off payment of $1000 (pro rata) in year one, $500 (pro rata) in year 2 and $500 (pro rata) in year three.

This means in 2022-23, employees will effectively receive an increase between 4 per cent to 7.8 per cent, when taking into account percentage increases and one-off payments.

This offer recognises the increased cost of living pressures on Tasmanian households, and the need for TSS employees to receive a fair and reasonable pay rise.

We have also listened to feedback from unions around attraction and retention, and improved employment conditions have also been offered to TSS employees, in addition to salary increases and additional cost of living payments over three years.

These include:

• an increase in parental leave to 18 weeks for the primary caregiver and 4 weeks for the secondary caregiver at the time of the birth. In addition to this, if the secondary caregiver takes over primary care responsibilities within the first 18 months of the life of the child, they get a further 12 weeks paid parental leave;
• Utilisation of bereavement leave to recognise still birth and miscarriage;
• 5 days paid leave per year to be used for activities or appointments associated with an employee’s disability;
• Up to 10 days paid leave per year to support foster carers, recognising diverse family arrangements;
• 4 weeks paid leave and 48 weeks unpaid leave for employees undertaking a gender affirmation process; and
• paid Family Violence Leave will be increased to 20 days per personal leave year.

We have also committed to continue discussing important workforce issues following an agreement being reached on wages, as we recognise that these are complex matters which deserve focused attention.

This offer is fair, affordable, and reasonable, and gives our hard-working State service employees a pay rise, eases cost of living pressures, and improves conditions.

I would ask the unions to call off their planned industrial action and work with us, and put this offer to their members so they can decide for themselves.

We remain committed to finalising and reaching agreement by 1 December to ensure our hard-working employees get a much-deserved pay rise.

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