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Speaker 1: Now as we know, tomorrow it is expected that hundreds

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Speaker 1: of Northern Territory government workers are going to take what

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Speaker 1: they've called drastic action, demanding the Chief Minister, Natasha Files,

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Speaker 1: loses the wage freeze or expect continued unrest and disruption

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Speaker 1: within the public service. Now joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: right now is the secretary of the United Workers Union,

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Speaker 1: Erina Early.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Erina.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 2: How are you not too bad? Now?

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Speaker 3: Erina?

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Speaker 2: Where are things at well?

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Speaker 1: I guess with the negotiations, we know the teachers are

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Speaker 1: due to strike tomorrow. We know that correction staff for

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Speaker 1: due to strike as well.

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Speaker 3: Yes, so at the moment is you've got correctional officers.

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Speaker 3: We're given a revised offer late yesterday from the Commissioner

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Speaker 3: of Public Employment, right, So that is we've been having

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Speaker 3: member meetings this morning and throughout the day, and then

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Speaker 3: the union will provide a response back to the Commissioner

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Speaker 3: for Public Employment this afternoon.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so a revised offer for correction staff. I understand

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Speaker 1: as well, based on what we've been told by the

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Speaker 1: Education Union that they also received a revised offer.

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Speaker 2: So what's the process today, Erina?

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Speaker 1: For the unions is like those strikes still going to

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Speaker 1: go ahead tomorrow.

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Speaker 3: Look to be honest, Katie, I can't speak on behalf

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Speaker 3: of the AEU and their members, but based on the

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Speaker 3: discussion with Corrections, they're not happy with the offer. But

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Speaker 3: we haven't spoken to all of our members yet, so

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Speaker 3: I can comfortably probably say that if the correction we'll

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Speaker 3: be going ahead with their warhof.

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Speaker 1: Tomorrow, okay, and we'll seek advice from Adam Lampy or

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Speaker 1: the Australian Education Union to find out what the goal

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Speaker 1: is from them, Erina, what exactly are the correction stuff

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Speaker 1: not happy with with that revised offer?

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Speaker 3: So they're not happy again it's for wait fee. They

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Speaker 3: haven't been provided a proper wage increase. The government have

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Speaker 3: just used smoke and mirrors to provide changes into their

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Speaker 3: increent classifications. That's not what they want. Only a majority

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Speaker 3: we'll get some type of improvement. This is about all

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Speaker 3: correctional officers getting their annual wage increases.

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Speaker 1: And so, Erina, do you feel as are the government's

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Speaker 1: listening at this point?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely not, Katie. Then they're not listening. And this is

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Speaker 3: a whole thing about having this public sector day of

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Speaker 3: action tomorrow. So if the nurses are going to be

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Speaker 3: there tomorrow or just with the fieries now for a

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Speaker 3: mass member firefighter meeting. They're getting preparation for there, but

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Speaker 3: joining in the action tomorrow. You've got Aboriginal health practitioners,

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Speaker 3: you've got parent Water Territory Generation. We're expecting a lot

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Speaker 3: of public sector workers here in Darwin and Alice Springs tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: Any idea on those numbers. Will it be in the

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Speaker 1: hundreds the thousands?

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Speaker 3: Well, I would love to see a thousand, but we

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Speaker 3: reckon we're probably going to have about four to five hundred.

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Speaker 1: And Aaron, do you reckon that you're going to see

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Speaker 1: any of those pollies come out and address the crowds.

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Speaker 3: Oh, that'd be great if they really do. Did Katie.

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Speaker 3: We're going to invite the Chief Minister and the ministers

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Speaker 3: to come out to address the workers. But I'm not

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Speaker 3: sure what's going to happen. They've been hiding in regard

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Speaker 3: to this wage policy, with what they haven't met with

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Speaker 3: the unions as the collective. They're trying to individually trying

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Speaker 3: to talk to the union there to try and break up.

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Speaker 1: And so so you reckon, they're trying to talk to

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Speaker 1: you guys individually to break you down so that you

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Speaker 1: don't remain sort of steadfast on this. Absolutely, And so

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Speaker 1: the situation for tomorrow, we know that there'll be nurses,

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Speaker 1: there'll be fieries, there'll be all sorts of different public

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Speaker 1: sector workers there tomorrow in support of you know, well.

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Speaker 2: Of each other.

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Speaker 1: I guess you'd say in relation to the pay frees

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Speaker 1: But we have got a situation where the teachers are

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Speaker 1: indeed striking and corrections are indeed walking off work for

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Speaker 1: twelve hours.

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Speaker 2: Is it?

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Speaker 3: Yes, that's correct, Hadie.

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Speaker 2: What's the main concern?

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Speaker 1: I know obviously the pay freeze is the main concern

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Speaker 1: Erona with the correctional stuff, But is it also around

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Speaker 1: safety concerns or what exactly is the worry?

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Speaker 3: Yes, so you're correct there, Katie. So it's not just

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Speaker 3: about the way free this correction. It is about safety.

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Speaker 3: It's about safe staffing levels and that they've got the

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Speaker 3: correct resources. As you know, Alice Springs always a real

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Speaker 3: big issue where their staffing yesterday it was thirty two,

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Speaker 3: they're down thirty two officers yesterday, etc. So it's not

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Speaker 3: being addressed by the government at all. They just keep

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Speaker 3: providing band aid at solutions, But this is bigger than

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Speaker 3: band aids.

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Speaker 1: What about you know, do you think that there will

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Speaker 1: be much of an impact then with that twelve hour

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Speaker 1: work stoppage, will it have much of an impact on

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Speaker 1: prisons and the operations there?

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Speaker 3: Look, we don't think so, Katie. Is the department use

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Speaker 3: their managers to staff the prison? To be honest, we've

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Speaker 3: had a sneak preview of Alice Springs and they've actually

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Speaker 3: better staffed tomorrow than they usually do on a regular basis.

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Speaker 2: How is that possible? How's that possible?

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Speaker 3: Well, they've brought in all the managers and stuff like that,

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Speaker 3: the deputy commissioners working, etc. So they want to ensure

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Speaker 3: the safety of their managers, but they're not sure in

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Speaker 3: the safety of officers.

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Speaker 1: Now eron, just finally this morning, I mean, we'll keep

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Speaker 1: in contact for tomorrow to find out how it's all going.

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Speaker 1: We'd love to, you know, get some photos down there

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Speaker 1: as well, see how many people are there. But to

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Speaker 1: those listening this morning that are thinking our public servants

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Speaker 1: are being greedy here on this wage freeze policy, what

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Speaker 1: would you say to them?

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Speaker 3: I asked those people to seriously consider coming out and

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Speaker 3: support public public sector is the major employer in the

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Speaker 3: Northern territory. They are the benchmark and when the empty

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Speaker 3: government have a wage freeze and provide poor working conditions,

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Speaker 3: it has a flow on effect to the public sector.

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Speaker 3: Every territory in is hurt by this wage freeze.

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Speaker 1: Well erin early. We always appreciate your time. I'll be

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Speaker 1: really interested to see how it all goes tomorrow. Thank

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Speaker 1: you so much for having a chat with us.

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Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, have a great day you too.

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Speaker 2: Thank you