It is believed the Tasmanian Government will approve a significant pay rise for the state’s doctors.
Tasmanian salaried doctors have had their pay frozen for the past three years, after wage agreements with doctors expired in June 2012.
Last month, the Tasmanian Industrial Commission recommended a pay rise of between 6.5 per cent and 8 per cent. The Government has until Friday to lodge a Supreme Court appeal.
Doctors warned of industrial action if the long-awaited pay rise was not implemented, arguing they were paid well below the national average.
They said even if the Industrial Commission ruling was upheld, their pay would remain comparatively low.
The State Government previously justified comparatively lower wage rates by citing Tasmania’s lower cost of living.
Now it is believed the Government will implement the full increase backdated to the industrial commission’s ruling, as well as a new classification structure expected to reduce the need for locums.
Formal notification is likely to be given to doctors on Friday.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein did not give anything away today, and told reporters there would be a response “before the end of the week”.
At his budget update on Wednesday, he said he was confident the state could “afford to manage a variety of different wages outcomes” and denied a $10 million boost to the health budget had anything to do with the doctor pay dispute.
Shadow treasurer Scott Bacon said money to settle the doctors’ dispute should have been factored into the budget.
“There should be a provision in the budget update … to deal with the doctor’s pay dispute,” he said.
“Peter Gutwein can’t point to where that is in the budget update – that leaves the numbers in question once again.”
What the salary increases will cost the state is not clear but an internal health department newsletter estimated the amount would be about $100 million.
Back pay was a major component of that figure but was not awarded by the industrial commission.