Last week we received a letter from the Premier offering to pay $2000 to workers with an AHPRA professional registration who’ve left the service in last 12 months if they’ll return to work.

This is the government that’s failed to meet and negotiate in good faith around most of the public sector agreements and that’s refused to pay incentive payments to current staff – the loyal ones across our health and human services who’ve worked through the past two terrible years.

Other states made similar payments to workers as a retention incentive to keep them in the system, with health workers in Victoria, NSW and WA rightfully paid around $3000 in recognition of the incredible work they’ve done for their state health systems throughout this pandemic.

It’s insulting that $2000 is being offered to staff who left, but not to those who stayed and put in the hard yards – are you feeling the love?

We’re meeting with the Premier tomorrow to make it clear that workers won’t betaken for granted like this.

Next week paramedics will start taking state-wide action because of the government’s refusal to meet with them to talk about their pay and conditions and the many issues they face every day, and soon after that we’ll look at action that can be taken by workers under all the other agreements, including the PSUWA and AHP agreements.

Your delegates will be meeting soon to outline a campaign to ensure you’re not ignored, and to make certain that all health staff are treated with respect and offered better working conditions.