Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early says prison officer will still strike tomorrow despite receiving a new pay offer from the NT Government

Transcript

United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early says prison officer will still strike tomorrow despite receiving a new pay offer from the NT Government · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now as we know, tomorrow it is expected that hundreds
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: of Northern Territory government workers are going to take what
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: they've called drastic action, demanding the Chief Minister, Natasha Files,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: loses the wage freeze or expect continued unrest and disruption
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: within the public service. Now joining me on the line
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: right now is the secretary of the United Workers Union,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Erina Early.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Erina.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: How are you not too bad? Now?
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: Erina?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Where are things at well?
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: I guess with the negotiations, we know the teachers are
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: due to strike tomorrow. We know that correction staff for
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: due to strike as well.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: Yes, so at the moment is you've got correctional officers.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: We're given a revised offer late yesterday from the Commissioner
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: of Public Employment, right, So that is we've been having
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: member meetings this morning and throughout the day, and then
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: the union will provide a response back to the Commissioner
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: for Public Employment this afternoon.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, so a revised offer for correction staff. I understand
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: as well, based on what we've been told by the
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Education Union that they also received a revised offer.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: So what's the process today, Erina?
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: For the unions is like those strikes still going to
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: go ahead tomorrow.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: Look to be honest, Katie, I can't speak on behalf
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: of the AEU and their members, but based on the
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: discussion with Corrections, they're not happy with the offer. But
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: we haven't spoken to all of our members yet, so
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: I can comfortably probably say that if the correction we'll
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: be going ahead with their warhof.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Tomorrow, okay, and we'll seek advice from Adam Lampy or
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the Australian Education Union to find out what the goal
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: is from them, Erina, what exactly are the correction stuff
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: not happy with with that revised offer?
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: So they're not happy again it's for wait fee. They
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: haven't been provided a proper wage increase. The government have
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: just used smoke and mirrors to provide changes into their
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: increent classifications. That's not what they want. Only a majority
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: we'll get some type of improvement. This is about all
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: correctional officers getting their annual wage increases.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: And so, Erina, do you feel as are the government's
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  Speaker 1: listening at this point?
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Absolutely not, Katie. Then they're not listening. And this is
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: a whole thing about having this public sector day of
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: action tomorrow. So if the nurses are going to be
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: there tomorrow or just with the fieries now for a
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: mass member firefighter meeting. They're getting preparation for there, but
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: joining in the action tomorrow. You've got Aboriginal health practitioners,
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: you've got parent Water Territory Generation. We're expecting a lot
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: of public sector workers here in Darwin and Alice Springs tomorrow.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Any idea on those numbers. Will it be in the
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: hundreds the thousands?
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: Well, I would love to see a thousand, but we
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: reckon we're probably going to have about four to five hundred.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: And Aaron, do you reckon that you're going to see
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: any of those pollies come out and address the crowds.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: Oh, that'd be great if they really do. Did Katie.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: We're going to invite the Chief Minister and the ministers
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: to come out to address the workers. But I'm not
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: sure what's going to happen. They've been hiding in regard
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: to this wage policy, with what they haven't met with
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: the unions as the collective. They're trying to individually trying
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: to talk to the union there to try and break up.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: And so so you reckon, they're trying to talk to
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  Speaker 1: you guys individually to break you down so that you
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: don't remain sort of steadfast on this. Absolutely, And so
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: the situation for tomorrow, we know that there'll be nurses,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: there'll be fieries, there'll be all sorts of different public
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: sector workers there tomorrow in support of you know, well.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Of each other.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I guess you'd say in relation to the pay frees
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: But we have got a situation where the teachers are
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: indeed striking and corrections are indeed walking off work for
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: twelve hours.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: Is it?
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: Yes, that's correct, Hadie.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: What's the main concern?
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: I know obviously the pay freeze is the main concern
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Erona with the correctional stuff, But is it also around
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: safety concerns or what exactly is the worry?
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: Yes, so you're correct there, Katie. So it's not just
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: about the way free this correction. It is about safety.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: It's about safe staffing levels and that they've got the
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: correct resources. As you know, Alice Springs always a real
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: big issue where their staffing yesterday it was thirty two,
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: they're down thirty two officers yesterday, etc. So it's not
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: being addressed by the government at all. They just keep
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: providing band aid at solutions, But this is bigger than
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: band aids.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: What about you know, do you think that there will
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: be much of an impact then with that twelve hour
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: work stoppage, will it have much of an impact on
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: prisons and the operations there?
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: Look, we don't think so, Katie. Is the department use
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: their managers to staff the prison? To be honest, we've
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: had a sneak preview of Alice Springs and they've actually
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: better staffed tomorrow than they usually do on a regular basis.
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: How is that possible? How's that possible?
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: Well, they've brought in all the managers and stuff like that,
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: the deputy commissioners working, etc. So they want to ensure
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: the safety of their managers, but they're not sure in
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: the safety of officers.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Now eron, just finally this morning, I mean, we'll keep
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: in contact for tomorrow to find out how it's all going.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: We'd love to, you know, get some photos down there
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: as well, see how many people are there. But to
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: those listening this morning that are thinking our public servants
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: are being greedy here on this wage freeze policy, what
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: would you say to them?
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  Speaker 3: I asked those people to seriously consider coming out and
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: support public public sector is the major employer in the
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: Northern territory. They are the benchmark and when the empty
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: government have a wage freeze and provide poor working conditions,
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: it has a flow on effect to the public sector.
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: Every territory in is hurt by this wage freeze.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Well erin early. We always appreciate your time. I'll be
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: really interested to see how it all goes tomorrow. Thank
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: you so much for having a chat with us.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, have a great day you too.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Thank you