Scrap the pay freeze and return to the traditional EBA model – that’s what the Fyles Labor Government must do to bring certainty and real wage growth for the Territory’s hard-working public servants.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said public servants like teachers, firefighters, corrections and nurses are the ones suffering from Labor’s wasteful spending.
“The Fyles Labor Government are so hell-bent on their destructive pay freeze that they’ll do anything to avoid going back on their policy,” she said.
“This is all in the name of budget repair but they’ve done more damage with their offers than they would have if they came to the table and negotiated.
“It’s ironic that the same unions who traditionally support a Labor Government are so determined to make a point that they’ve rejected an offer, instead choosing to strike and send a clear message.
“This strike and the results of the Fannie Bay by-election should be a huge wake up call for this Government.”
Mrs Finocchiaro said it was important the Territory was an attractive place to live and work, but numbers from the estimates process uncovered how poorly this government has performed in the last six years.
“The numbers are alarming – between 2021 and 2022, there was a loss of 51 full-time teachers, and 474 Department of Education staff resigned, 75 more than the previous year,” she said.
“More alarming is that 65 stress-related matters were made which was up 54 more than the previous year – what this Fyles Labor Government is doing is not working.”
Mrs Finocchiaro said a CLP Government would scrap the pay freeze.
“A government I lead would scrap the pay freeze and instead sit down at the table and negotiate real wage growth with the public servants who work so hard,” she said. “Budget repair would come from scrapping the pet projects and building a strong economy where government and private sector work closely for the good of the Territory.”
ENDS