Nurses and midwifes have again undertaken industrial action holding a stop-work rally on Parliament Lawns in Hobart demanding an improved wages and conditions package.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmania said their members remain adamant that without an improved agreement which rivals that of other states, the future of the health system in Tasmania will be put at risk.
Earlier on Friday, the Australian Education Union Tasmania branch executive announced it has endorsed a new Teachers' Agreement tabled by the state government on Thursday, however other unions are yet to receive new offers.
The new offer made to the AEU, if supported by its members, will provide public school teachers with a minimum pay rise of 7.5 per cent over three years, with the majority of members receiving an 8.5 per cent pay increase.
The government's perceived reset bargaining position has been welcomed by other public sector union leaders.
Community and Public Sector Union secretary Tom Lynch said it was pleasing to see the Hodgman government finally making wage offers to public sector workers above the cost of living.
"It is clearly a breakthrough in the fight that we have had with the government for the last 11 months about paying fair and reasonable wage increases," Mr Lynch said.
"As we understand it, the offer that was put to the teachers will offer wage increases of between 7.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent over three years, which is fairly close to the position we had put forward to the government from the start."
Mr Lynch said public sector unions advised Premier Will Hodgman on Monday they were willing to meet with him and modify their position.
"We sought an urgent meeting, we have been waiting all week to sit down and talk around wages and to modify the position we had put on the table," Mr Lynch said.
"We welcome the opportunity now to sit down and negotiate for the other 24,000 public sector workers who have been waiting for nearly a year."
Health and Community Services Union assistant secretary Robbie Moore said during the rally safe nursing levels were left at the hospital, reducing rally numbers.
"They've been set at night shift amounts so there are adequate nurses to make sure patients are safe while this action is going on," Mr Moore said.
"On Friday we've heard from a number of speakers who have passionately spoken about the effects this is having on workers by having the hospital system in such a crisis, by having ambulances ramped.
"This is a crisis and it is only going to get worse."
Mr Moore said he welcomed the government offer of increased wages to the AEU, however, he wanted to see the see that extent to members across the health and community service sectors as well.
"We'd like the Premier to come forth. He needs to deal with all of his workforce. At this stage he has put an offer to teachers and no offer to other public sector workers and that is unacceptable," he said.
ANMF branch secretary Emily Shepherd said nursing was a national market, and without a comparative package of wages and conditions for workers there will be an exodus of these valuable staff from the state and an inability to attract new nurses to the public sector.
"Members are reporting to the ANMF that the current pressures on the health system, coupled with the disrespect shown by the Tasmanian government's latest offer, is leaving them feeling deflated and unappreciated for the work they are doing to prop up the system," Ms Shepherd said.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein said he encouraged nurses and broader public sector unions to come back to the table to discuss what they are looking for and ways to help the government fund it through "sensible" savings and efficiency measures.