Premier push in pay fight

Labor urges Hodgman to intervene

LABOR has called on Premier Will Hodgman to intervene to find a solution to the dispute over public-sector pay.

Unions will hold a stopwork meeting on Parliament Lawns tomorrow in support of their campaign to overturn the State Government’s cap of 2 per cent on annual wage rises.

The campaign has been accompanied by industrial action including walk-offs by teachers and work bans involving a range of public servants from nurses to park rangers.

Labor frontbencher Scott Bacon said Mr Hodgman needed to get involved in negotiations to solve the dispute.

“It’s incumbent on the Premier to involve himself in negotiations with teachers, nurses and other hardworking public servants so that they can get a fair pay increase that at least keeps pace with the cost of living,” Mr Bacon said.

“We do know that what the Treasurer’s put on the table with the 2 per cent wage cap is actually a cut in real terms to people’s living standards.

“You can’t expect teachers, nurses and other public servants to take a wage cut in what the Government calls very good economic times.

“It’s time that the Premier himself got involved in these negotiations so that this issue can be resolved,” he said.

However, Treasurer Peter Gutwein accused Labor of “playing political games on public-sector wages”.

“The Liberal Government has been negotiating in good faith with all public-sector unions, and last week put forward a second formal offer to teachers,” he said.

“The Australian Education Union should follow its own advice to negotiate in good faith and call off all industrial action while considering the fair and affordable pay rise offer the Government has put forward,” Mr Gutwein said.