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Autumn 2006

Health Professionals Dispute Heads to Commission

HACSU has lodged a dispute with Tasmanian Industrial Commission following the breakdown of negotiations between the Government and unions on whether or not a number of groups should be considered as Health Professionals. At stake is whether these workers are entitled to the wages and conditions increases awarded to all other Health Professionals last year.

The Government rejected claims by HACSU that Probation and Parole Officers and Prisons Programs employees should be classified as Health Professionals and thus entitled to the recent raise. This is inconsistent with an earlier Government decision that recognised Youth Justice employees as Health Professionals.

Youth Justice employees, Probation and Parole Officers and Prisons Programs employees all perform very similar tasks. It is also contradictory with past actions, as the Government had historically recognised Probation and Parole Officers as health workers - just like Welfare Workers and Social Workers - under the award that was in place before the introduction of the four streams awards in the mid-1990s.

Our investigations clearly show that both groups have a significant role in the provision of health treatments, advice and reporting mechanisms. HACSU believes we have a strong case to put before the Commission, which will commence hearing the matter in May.