THE government has promised to axe an extra 500 public sector jobs after failing to win support for a legislated pay freeze.
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Treasurer Peter Gutwein scrapped his wage freeze bill immediately after a majority of Legislative Councillors last night voted to delay it.
Mr Gutwein’s decision has left MLCs, unions and opposition parties fuming.
MLCs had urged the government to take more time to negotiate a wage freeze with unions rather than legislate it, saying they would reconsider the bill in a month if negotiations failed.
But the Treasurer insisted further negotiations were not an option and canned the legislation altogether.
‘‘Unfortunately, today’s vote in the upper house left us with no other option,’’ Mr Gutwein said.
‘‘Unions were given ample opportunity to negotiate over recent months but failed to do so.
‘‘We have been very clear and upfront about the consequence of failing to pass the pay pause. It was the pay pause or 500 jobs.’’
The government warned that it may now break its promise to limit job cuts to back office positions in a bid to save $50 million this financial year.
‘‘The government cannot guarantee the front line will not be impacted when we have to find the additional 500 jobs,’’ Liberal MLC Vanessa Goodwin said.
‘‘We will do our best our best to protect it, but as a result of what is proposed we can no longer guarantee it.’’
Labor leader Bryan Green labelled the government’s decision ‘‘extraordinarily arrogant’’.
‘‘The Treasurer tried to ram this legislation through with threats and intimidation and has now spat the dummy after realising democracy is not his plaything,’’ Mr Green said.
‘‘The Liberals need to have a long cold shower and do what they should have done in the first place: negotiate in good faith with the workforce and their unions.’’
Greens leader Kim Booth slammed the government’s decision as ‘‘nasty, belligerent and divisive’’ politics.
‘‘The Treasurer’s petulant tantrum beggars belief,’’ Mr Booth said.
‘‘The Liberals have no mandate to cut wages and are now behaving like bullies, blaming public sector workers and threatening them with the sack.
‘‘Treasurer Gutwein needs to grow up, accept the numbers didn’t fall his way and do the responsible thing by sitting down and negotiating with public sector unions.’’
The public service job cuts will be on top of 700 full-time equivalent positions already on the chopping block.
