Pressure peaking on public sector pay
Public sector workers want a wage increase in line with government inflation figures in the Northern Territory, with the possibility of strike action if their demands go unmet.
Community and Public Sector Union NT Secretary Kay Densley said in an interview earlier this week that the Union has lodged its demands with Fair Work Australia, including a pay increase to match inflation rates that a recent NT Budget forecast to hit 3.9 per cent this year.
Members of the Community and Public Sector Union will meet with the Commissioner for Public Employment, Ken Simpson today. Mr Simpson has said the 3.9 per cent figure was for planning purposes, and the underlying CPI for Darwin for this year was actually 3.1 per cent.
Mr Simpson also said the workers have been offered a pay increase of 3 per cent per year, or 12 per cent over four years.
"We don't want the world, we just want enough so people can afford to live here," Ms Densley said.
It is understood that some workers were concerned about provisions they believed would make sackings easier, but Mr Simpson says its just an effort to clarify existing redundancy provisions.
If Fair Work agrees to the application, union members will move to vote on which, if any, industrial action should be taken.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is set to visit the top end today on the campaign trail leading up to the next election. He is expected to announce plans relating to water resource management and the agriculturual future of the area.