Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with CPSU NT Regional Secretary Kay Densley about the NO vote on the Government's public sector pay bonus

Transcript

Katie spoke with CPSU NT Regional Secretary Kay Densley about the NO vote on the Government's public sector pay bonus · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me live on the line right now. We know
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: that's obviously the Northern Territory public sector workers at Power
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and Water and also Jacana Energy of both again well
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: once again voted no to the Gunner government's pay bonus.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: And joining me on the line is Kay Densley from
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: the CPSU. Good morning to UK.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. Kay, Power and.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Water and Jacana have now voted on this pay bonus.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Can you tell me what exactly was the outcome?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Well, they both said no again. So this is a
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: second time in a matter of months where they've been
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: asked to vote and yeah, there's no pay rise in it.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: So people know the long term effects of that of
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: both their family budget and you know, keeping up with CPI.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Now, obviously what they were voting on on this occasion
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: was this bonus that the Chief Minister had put forward
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks ago. For those out there
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: who maybe don't know exactly how much that bonus was,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: talk us through what it was going to look.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: So there was an increased offer from one thousand dollars
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: per year last time to four thousand dollars in the
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: first year and two thousand and each year after that.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: The bonus is are taxable, of course, so you're not
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: going to get the full four thousand dollars. But it
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: was obviously a big character wave and you're very tempting
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: for a lot of people. So you know it didn't work.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: So you know, Michael Gunner needs to start listening and talk.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Okay, obviously this is power and water and Jacana. What
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: about some of our other public sector workers. What's when
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: are they going to vote and when can we expect
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: those results?
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: So the MTPS General Agreement, which covers around about thirteen
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: thousand public servants, so that closes on Friday morning, This
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Friday morning at ten am, so you know they've got
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: the same offer, and you know there's some really progressive
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: ideas and stuff in agreement. The big sticking point is
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: a pay rise that accumulates and keeps up with CPI
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: and obviously you know, enables them to be able to
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: live in the territory.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: So okay, where to from here? Because it sounds as though,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: and obviously I don't want to get too far ahead
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: of myself, that that other vote expected on Friday, but
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: it doesn't sound as though this is getting resounding support
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: from the public sector.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: No so Michael Gunner seems to just be speaking from
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: his culport and you know, throwing out all the tempting tidbits.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: But what he needs to do is stop and listen
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: and start talking and see what we can work out
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: to ensure that you know, the public service continues, that
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: they're rewarded for the work that they do and have done,
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: you know, especially over the last couple of years, and
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: that you know, their pay isn't going backwards. So our
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: flamers for a two year agreement and we're happy to
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: put that or other things on the table and then
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: take that back to members. But it's just you know,
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: the the arrogance I guess of not even talking to
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: us about it and just you know, changing offers and
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: expecting people to accept it.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Kay. Like I always say to you, there's going to
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: be some people listening this morning that are thinking, it's
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: just you know, you're being greedy. Why do you deserve
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: or why you know, should should there be this pay increase?
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: But you have also pointed out, you know the cost
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: of living continues to go up, and you do want
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: to sit down with the Chief Minister and go through
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: all of this. I mean, why is this so important.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Why is it so important that our public sector workers
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: do receive that pay increase.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Well, they make up a large percentage of the workforce
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: up here, and of course the public public sector, their
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: way does reflect what's in the public service as well.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: So you know, we're hearing a lot of companies and
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: private enterprise that is saying they don't have to offer
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: a pay rise. So you know, basically we're just going
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: to bring everyone down by not ensuring that people get
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: a fair pay rise each year. They also support you know,
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: it's what I guess about a fifth of the NT
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: population at the moment. So yeah, they're the ones that
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: support local businesses and buy locally and you know, do
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: all that stuff that to invest their money into the
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: local economy. So without the ability to be able to
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: do that, they're going to have to make a choice
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: about where they spend their money and that's a real
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: concern when we're trying to build the economy up.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Okay, I do want to ask you obviously, these changes
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: to the borders come into place on December twenty. We're
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: due to catch up with the nurses Union after ten
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: o'clock this morning and talk a little bit more about
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: this is this an issue that's being raised with you
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: through the CPSU at this point.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: Certainly is especially when you're out in outside of the
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: Darwin Katherine Alice Springs area. So we are hoping that
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: the changes that they're talking about bringing in will enable
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: people to home quarantine where they are, especially if they're
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: just outside of town or Norman Boyn Group for example.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: And our members don't want to bring any sickness back
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: into the communities, and we need to make sure everyone's safe,
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: but we also need a break every now and then.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: And there's people that have already booked to travel into
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: state and they're concerned. They might be essential workers, but
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: their kids aren't, so they're concerned about the cost where
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: they'll be able to get back home again. Obviously, there's
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: also a concern about the effect on services if they
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: can't get home, and the rules keep changing all the time,
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: so it's pretty hard to plan ahead.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, what's your message for the government on the issue.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: They need to listen. They need to realize that, you know,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: times two means that we're serious. And it's our members
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: out there that are voting. They're the ones. We're just
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: giving them the information so they need to listen to
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: their workers, and they need to sit down and have
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: a sensible conversation and let's cook it some alternative.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Kay Densley, I always appreciate your time, no doubt. We'll
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: talk again next week after we find out the outcome
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of that voter is So, is the outcome expected Friday
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: as well or will that be early next week?
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Now that'll be Friday, just after ten am in the morning.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Oh well, we'll probably talk to you then, kay Densley,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for your time.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: No worries. Thanks Katie, thank you