Peter Gutwein,Treasurer
In a meeting with union leaders today, we have outlined an improved wage offer to public servants which will provide a seven per cent pay rise over three years.
Once again, the Government has demonstrated that we are negotiating in good faith to give public servants the highest possible pay rise and biggest improvement in conditions that the budget can afford.
In today's meeting, we advised union leaders that the offers they will receive for each individual agreement later today will contain pay rises of 2 per cent in the first year, and 2.5 per cent in the second and third years, with the further increase funded through additional savings measures.
This is the second improvement in the headline pay rise figure we have put to unions, and on top of that we are continuing to offer a range of improved terms and conditions, as well as employing more public servants to deliver services and reduce workloads on current staff.
To date, unions are yet to reduce their original claims and some are in fact continuing to increase their claims.
The Government will provide unions with formal offers later today and the Government has set a two-week deadline for unions to take the offer to their members for their consideration and endorsement.
Union bosses must now show the same good faith by calling off all industrial action and taking our offers to their members for a full vote.
There can be no doubt that it is the Government which is negotiating in good faith and seeking to deliver a pay rise and end the stalemate.
Unions to this point have appeared set on dragging out the dispute for as long as possible. Now is their chance to act and accept a very fair offer.
