UNIONS have vowed to exhaust all legal options available to them to save 500 extra public servants faxing the axe. Representatives from all major state sector unions met in Hobart yesterday, agreeing to a collective plan to combat the job losses. The government announced the additional job cuts last week after failing to win support for a legislated pay freeze, and has since refused to back down from its decision. The 500 jobs have been added to 700 already slated to go. Government ministers are meeting with department heads this week to decide which positions could be culled to meet the new target. Health Minister Michael Ferguson would not comment on the meetings yesterday, but confirmed front-line staff in his portfolio would not be exempt from the cuts. ‘‘I don’t want to see any cuts to the front line ... but we are now no longer able to guarantee we can quarantine the front line,’’ Mr Ferguson said. Unions Tasmania president Roz Madsen said there was no way unions would accept extra job cuts. ‘‘We will continue to pursue all available options open to us to bring the government to the negotiating table,’’ Ms Madsen said. ‘‘The government must obey industrial law and we will pursue the legal options available to us to to save every single one of these jobs.’’ Greens leader Kim Booth said the government must detail exactly which jobs it intends to axe. ‘‘There is a legitimate fear within the Tasmanian community that these 1200 jobs may come from our hospitals and other essential services," Mr Booth said. ‘‘People are rightly concerned they’re not going to be able to get a hospital bed, that there’ll be ambulance ramping or that they might not be able to get a police officer when they’re in strife,’’ he said.
Greens leader Kim Booth has called on the government to detail exactly which jobs it intends to axe.
UNIONS have vowed to exhaust all legal options available to them to save 500 extra public servants faxing the axe.
Representatives from all major state sector unions met in Hobart yesterday, agreeing to a collective plan to combat the job losses.
The government announced the additional job cuts last week after failing to win support for a legislated pay freeze, and has since refused to back down from its decision.
The 500 jobs have been added to 700 already slated to go.
Government ministers are meeting with department heads this week to decide which positions could be culled to meet the new target.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson would not comment on the meetings yesterday, but confirmed front-line staff in his portfolio would not be exempt from the cuts.
‘‘I don’t want to see any cuts to the front line ... but we are now no longer able to guarantee we can quarantine the front line,’’ Mr Ferguson said.
Unions Tasmania president Roz Madsen said there was no way unions would accept extra job cuts.
‘‘We will continue to pursue all available options open to us to bring the government to the negotiating table,’’ Ms Madsen said.
‘‘The government must obey industrial law and we will pursue the legal options available to us to to save every single one of these jobs.’’
Greens leader Kim Booth said the government must detail exactly which jobs it intends to axe.
‘‘There is a legitimate fear within the Tasmanian community that these 1200 jobs may come from our hospitals and other essential services," Mr Booth said.
‘‘People are rightly concerned they’re not going to be able to get a hospital bed, that there’ll be ambulance ramping or that they might not be able to get a police officer when they’re in strife,’’ he said.
