AWU Statement on Wage Freeze Legislation Reports

AWU Statement:
Wage Freeze Legislation Reports

6th June 2020

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Reports today that Queensland Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace is considering abandoning talks with workers and moving to legislate a wage freeze for frontline health staff without any consultation are incredibly concerning.

 

Equally concerning was the sight yesterday of a major union leader giving the green light for such a proposal despite the devastating impact it will have on their own members.

At a time when frontline health workers are going above and beyond in incredibly challenging circumstances to keep the rest of us safe, ramming a wage freeze through parliament is the last thing they need or deserve.

The fact that these reports come just one day after hundreds and hundreds of frontline workers took action to make it clear just how let down they feel by a wage freeze is particularly disappointing.

As a former union boss herself, we’d hope that Grace Grace knows that such a course of action would represent an almost unprecedented attack on workers’ rights in this state.

 

Likewise, we know that any real union leader would stand firm against these attacks on workers’ pay and conditions and not sell out their members in such a blatantly obvious way.

We know that there are good people in this Government who want to do the right thing, and we’d call on them to listen to frontline health workers, do what’s right, and pay them what they’re owed.