❓ Opposition questions Premier on reconciling support for national wage growth with the government's offer to nurses amidst planned industrial action. Premier accuses opposition of political opportunism and supporting unlawful strike action, detailing the government's offer and union's alleged reneging.
AnsweredQoN 765Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES — INDUSTRIAL ACTION
765. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to tomorrow's
planned rally by WA nurses and the Premier's support for federal Labor's
industrial relations bill on the basis that it will lift wages, noting that ''there
has been a problem with wages growth in Australia''. How does he
reconcile his desire to see wages lift nationally with his failure to make an
adequate offer to lift the wages of our hardworking nurses?
765. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to tomorrow's
planned rally by WA nurses and the Premier's support for federal Labor's
industrial relations bill on the basis that it will lift wages, noting that ''there
has been a problem with wages growth in Australia''. How does he
reconcile his desire to see wages lift nationally with his failure to make an
adequate offer to lift the wages of our hardworking nurses?
AnswerView source ↗
The opposition's Treasury
spokesperson is Hon Dr Steve Thomas—correct? Hon Dr Steve Thomas said
on 14 September 2022 that it is a reasonable offer that we put to nurses. That
is the position of the opposition, but now it is changing its position. Members
opposite see unlawful strike action going on and they try to politically
capitalise on it by changing their position. That is what the opposition is
doing.
The
nurses' union is ignoring the orders of the Western Australian
Industrial Relations Commission; it is deliberately flouting them and
engaging in unlawful action—against the law—and the opposition
is supporting that. That is what is happening in Western Australia today. It is
totally and utterly outrageous. We have put in place many of the things that
the nurses' union asked for, and when the negotiations were going on,
the union indicated to our negotiating team, ''If you give us this, we
will settle.'' We then provided for nurse-to-patient ratios, but it did
not settle, even though it said it would. We
provided for a three per cent pay increase, plus a half a per cent
superannuation increase, plus a $3 000
sign-on bonus, plus improved allowances for a range of nurses at various
levels, upon which the union said it would settle and agreed to do so,
and then it reneged. That is what has occurred. Now the union is going to
engage in unlawful strike action at our hospitals tomorrow. It is utterly
outrageous, and it is outrageous that members opposite agreed with our offer a little
while ago, but now they are backflipping.
spokesperson is Hon Dr Steve Thomas—correct? Hon Dr Steve Thomas said
on 14 September 2022 that it is a reasonable offer that we put to nurses. That
is the position of the opposition, but now it is changing its position. Members
opposite see unlawful strike action going on and they try to politically
capitalise on it by changing their position. That is what the opposition is
doing.
The
nurses' union is ignoring the orders of the Western Australian
Industrial Relations Commission; it is deliberately flouting them and
engaging in unlawful action—against the law—and the opposition
is supporting that. That is what is happening in Western Australia today. It is
totally and utterly outrageous. We have put in place many of the things that
the nurses' union asked for, and when the negotiations were going on,
the union indicated to our negotiating team, ''If you give us this, we
will settle.'' We then provided for nurse-to-patient ratios, but it did
not settle, even though it said it would. We
provided for a three per cent pay increase, plus a half a per cent
superannuation increase, plus a $3 000
sign-on bonus, plus improved allowances for a range of nurses at various
levels, upon which the union said it would settle and agreed to do so,
and then it reneged. That is what has occurred. Now the union is going to
engage in unlawful strike action at our hospitals tomorrow. It is utterly
outrageous, and it is outrageous that members opposite agreed with our offer a little
while ago, but now they are backflipping.
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