The choice for workers at Tasmania’s state election

January 28, 2018

With Premier Will Hodgman today calling an election for the 3rd of March, Tasmanians have an opportunity to judge the Liberals against their record of cutting public sector jobs, undermining vital services like health and education and failing to act on secure work. In their four years of Government, Will Hodgman’s Liberals have:

• Inflicted massive cuts on the public sector, created a crisis in health and undermined essential public services like education, biosecurity, parks and child protection. This has placed workers in the public service under enormous pressure.
• Let down Tasmanians in low paid work whose penalty rates have been cut. The Tasmanian Liberals refused to make a submission to the Fair Work inquiry into penalty rates and voted in the Parliament against a Parliamentary Inquiry to investigate the impact of cuts on Tasmanian workers.
• Failed to act on job security and underemployment, with only 10% of the jobs created in Tasmania during their time in office being full time.
• Maintained a 2% wages cap, keeping public service wages down and contributing to Tasmania’s near record low wage growth.

“Unions Tasmania has already been campaigning across the state for ‘Jobs You Can Count On’ since early 2017,” said Jessica Munday, Unions Tasmania Secretary.

“We’ve been talking to the community, knocking on doors and having direct conversations with members of the public about the need for more secure jobs, decent pay rises, penalty rates and what’s been happening to our public services. The community is concerned about growing inequality. They want real action on these issues.”

“We have approached a number of parties and asked them to tell us how their policies would deliver not just more but better jobs – jobs Tasmanian’s can count on. Political parties and candidates who share our objectives and whose policies put workers interests at their centre will have the support of working people and their unions,” said Ms Munday.

For further information: Jessica Munday 0417 454 809

 

The choice for workers at Tasmania’s state election.pdf