AWU MEDIA STATEMENT

AWU says frontline health workers are being left behind by Queensland Government.

16 April 2020

Health workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland are being left behind by Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Queensland Government, as other States step up to the plate to announce support for frontline health care workers.

While the NSW Treasurer Dominic Perroret has announced that frontline health care workers will be exempt from any public sector wage freezes, the Queensland Government has so far refused to make a similar commitment.

AWU Secretary Steve Baker said that it was unbelievable that a Liberal Government would do a better job of looking out for frontline health workers than Queensland Labor.

“For a Liberal Government in New South Wales to recognise that frontline health workers should still be getting paid what they’re owed is nothing less than embarrassing for Annastacia Palaszcuk and her ministers.

“It’s a pretty damming indictment that a New South Wales Liberal Government is going into bat for frontline workers while a Queensland Labor Government leaves them high and dry.

“Frontline health workers themselves have made it clear that they’re devastated by the Government continuing to ignore them while they’re battling a global pandemic.

“They’re not asking for any special treatment; they simply want to be paid a long-overdue wage increase that plenty of white-collar public servants who are not dealing with sick patients have already received.

Steve Baker said that the Government was fast losing credibility with ordinary workers.
“Almost two weeks have passed since the wage freeze announcement and we’re still no clearer on how exactly it is going to be rolled out,” Steve said.

“Frontline health workers are putting their safety on the line day in day out to keep the community safe: they deserve some certainty.

“Many of these frontline workers have wives, husbands and family members who have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay the bills.

“We’re urging Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Treasurer Jackie Trad to do the right thing, follow the lead of the NSW Government and commit to paying health workers what they’re owed today.”

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