February 1: Today’s ruling by the full bench of Fair Work Australia on pay equity for social and community sector workers is a landmark in the fight for equal pay for women. This female-dominated industry is one of the lowest paid in Australia because it has been historically viewed as ‘women’s work. This has been a major reason why the gender pay gap remains at 18% despite the right to equal pay for equal work being enshrined in law decades ago. Fair Work Australia’s ruling will mean social and community sector workers will receive pay increases of between 23% and 45% over the next eight years beginning on 1 December. The pay increases will phase in at between 2.5% and 5% a year, depending on salary level.

November 15: 2000 concerned Tasmanians gathered on Parliament Lawns in Hobart to vent their anger about the Government's savage budget cuts that are wiping out crucial services to Tasmanians - particularly health services. See photos here

October 24: All concerned Tasmanians, workers, union members, family and friends are invited to join us for a community rally and protest against the State Government’s budget cuts to our public services

COMMUNITY RALLIES:

ROYAL PARK LAUNCESTON Saturday October 29, 11am or march from Prince's Sq @ 10.30am

BURNIE ARTS & FUNCTION CENTRE Thursday November 3, 12noon

PARLIAMENT LAWNS HOBART Saturday November 12, 10.30am or march from the front of RHH at 10am

October 11: Mental health workers, unions and concerned community members rallied outside Hobart's Executive Building to protest savage cuts to services. People rallied. Pollies waffled. It was World Mental Health Day. There was nothing to celebrate. Click here for photos.

August 12: Click here to read Ministerial Direction No 25 - State Service Vacancy Control Process

July 4: Despite signed pre-election promises of no forced redundancies or any time limit on redeployment all 15 Labor and Green House of Assembly members voted to support legislation allowing public sector workers to be made forcibly redundant and placing a 6 month limit on redeployment. The Tasmanian Liberals stood behind their pre-election promise of job security and argued strongly that the legislation should be rejected. Click here to read the contributions to the second reading debate by Liberal Leader Will Hodgman and his deputy Jeremy Rockcliff. They're worth reading.

June 28: What worries a High School Principal, a Speech Pathologist and a Police Officer about the Giddings Government's public sector budget cuts? Click here for audio (or right mouse click to 'save as')

June 21: THE IRON PREMIER: Click here for an update containing further information about the massive cuts to the public sector. You'll be updated again once the Bills before the parliament on redeployment and performance management have progressed and we have some details. Please let your union know about any cuts in your area or any reviews that are underway.

June 21: Last Thursday the Premier handed down a horror budget. She made massive cuts to public sector spending across all Agencies and capped future increases for public sector workers at 2%. The budget is based on the lie that 1700 jobs can be cut from the current workforce without reducing the services available to the community. It's an uncertain and stressful time for Members as you wait to hear whether your job is to be targeted, but you have the support of your union whose primary objective over the next 12 months will be to provide Members with advice, training and all the tools needed to respond to the measures the government is introducing and to deal with the expected work overload.

June 3: There was a large turnout to the Budget Day community protest on Parliament Lawns. The Government has to start taking notice of the growing number of concerned and angry Tasmanians. Photos of the rally can be found here.

June 3: BUDGET DAY RALLY - JUNE 16 2.30-3.30pm PARLIAMENT HOUSE LAWNS: [Click here for a poster] It appears the Premier has committed to all union members accessing some form of paid absence, flex time or TOIL to attend the rally: “…It (the government) would also ensure that union members who want to attend the rally can do so without losing pay, provided they use one of the above options.” “We will still be offering workers the opportunity to take-up our offer of flexible leave options, but it is not normal practice to pay those who simply choose not to attend work.” The CPSU and HACSU advise public sector members that if your request is refused or you don’t have access to such leave provisions tell your manager your union has instructed you to participate in industrial action by attending a stop work meeting from 2:30-3:30pm (plus travel time) on Thursday June 16 and you’ll be unavailable for work. The stop-work instruction is a fall-back protection for members but, given the Premier’s media statement, all union members should be offered “the opportunity to take-up our offer of flexible leave options” and no one should be knocked back.

May 26: PREMIER CONFIRMS SACKINGS: Premier Lara Giddings made a Ministerial Statement to Parliament today confirming the Government intends to proceed with legislative changes to fast track the sacking of potentially thousands of Public Sector workers. On behalf of the Greens their leader Nick McKim confirmed they would be supporting these changes. Any doubt was clarified. The Government will be dramatically reducing the size of the Public Sector and will be using every measure imaginable to achieve this outcome. The Premier tried to spin the facts by saying she was making the Ministerial Statement to end uncertainty. In reality she was bragging that she’d been given the Green light to act on her previous threats. Make no mistake, every Public Sector worker was put on notice today that post-budget they could be declared surplus to requirements and then sacked after just 6 months. We need to stand together to oppose this destructive plan. Make sure you attend the Parliament lawns rally at 2.30pm on Budget Day, June 16.

May 23: PS Budget Cuts News: Economists, Business and Unions Align in Opposition

May 23: Dr Martin Parkinson: Post-Budget Address to the Australian Business Economists

May 19: The Centre for Tasmanian Industry: "Proposed Tasmanian public service cuts: Bad for business"

May 18: PS Budget Cuts News: The cuts begin

May 13: Campaign TV ads: TV Ad 1 - TV Ad 2 - TV Ad 3

May 13: Photos: Union roadside protest before Cabinet swearing-in at Govt House

May 10: Quick Summary: The economic & social impact of the 2010-11 Mid-Year Financial Report

May 10: Full Report: The economic & social impact of the 2010-11 Mid-Year Financial Report

May 6: CPSU & HACSU response to statements by PSMO Director Frank Ogle

May 5: PS Budget Cuts News: Fast track to termination

May 5: Government's proposed Targeted Voluntary Redundancy Package

May 5: Government's draft Ministerial Direction 25: State Service Vacancy Control Process

Mar 15: PS Budget Cuts News State of the state

Feb 28: PS Budget Cuts News I just don't know what to do

Feb 16:PS Budget Cuts News Fear and anger

Feb 10: Media release Tasmania in for dark times

Feb 4: PS Budget Cuts News It's time to challenge the TCCI attack