Premier Hodgman and his Treasurer must get back to the negotiating table immediately and start wage talks for the next two years and not allow fresh negotiations to follow the same convoluted path as the past year.
Shadow Workplace Relations Minister Michelle O'Byrne said now that the government has reached an in-principle 12-month wage agreement, it is critical that negotiations for the following years are not permitted to descend once again into chaos.
"Labor welcomes the fact that there has finally been some agreement but it should not have taken more than a year of Premier Hodgman and Treasurer Gutwein refusing to come to the table in good faith and treating their workforce with such disrespect," Ms O'Byrne said.
"The agreement announced today is only for one year so it is imperative the Premier makes continued negotiations a priority.
"His government has treated nurses, teachers, child safety officers, park rangers and paramedics with contempt and extraordinary disrespect and it is now well beyond time to focus on the following years with a modicum of good faith."
Michelle O'Byrne MP
Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations
