TSS wage negotiations update and new website (31 Mar 2026)

Hello everyone

I write to update you about the progress of the wage negotiations across the Tasmanian State Service.

After intensive and daily discussions with unions since my last update, and consistent with my commitment to do all that we can to enable agreement by 31 March, I provided to unions a further three-year offer for the Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement (PSUWA) on 23 March.

The offer was made to enable unions to work through their internal processes and to take the offer to their members. This supports our shared aim of reaching agreement by today, 31 March, in order to deliver backpay of salary increases effective from the first full pay period on or after (ffppooa) 1 December 2025 for those anticipating a salary increase from that time.

The revised PSUWA offer to unions provides structural reform from ffppooa 1 December 2025 (adjustments to base salary for bands 1-8 as previously outlined in my last message) and clarifies the wording of several standard employment conditions to ensure they support the strengthening and modernising of the Tasmanian State Service Award.

Also consistent with my commitment, over the past week and today I have provided unions offers for the following:

• A revised three-year offer for the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Staff Agreement on 24 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the Dental Officers Agreement on 24 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the Radiation Therapists Agreement on 24 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the AWU Public Sector Union Wages Agreement on 24 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the Allied Health Professionals Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement on 26, 27 and 30 March.
• A revised 18-month offer for the Ambulance Tasmania Industrial Agreement on 27 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the Teachers Agreement on 30 March.
• A revised three-year offer for the Department of State Growth Engineers Industrial Agreement on 31 March.

These offers include salary increases of 3% in the first year, 3% in the second year and 2.75% in the third year of the agreements (3% in the first year and 3% in the second year for the revised 18-month Ambulance Tasmania offer), as well as different structural reforms for some agreements from ffppooa 1 December 2025.

It also includes improvements to the conditions for State Service employees covered by the agreements and the standard conditions that will come from the strengthening and modernising of the Tasmanian State Service Award mentioned above.

Importantly, these offers have been made following discussions with unions to agree critical threshold issues for members and the employer to reach agreement by 31 March.

Today is an important day as, should these offers not be put to union membership with support by unions, the salary backpay across all agreements that had an anticipated salary increase of ffppooa 1 December will be removed.

In addition, I note that in order to keep to this timeframe, negotiators for all agreements have been working intensively over the past weeks, despite disruptive industrial action which has continued to occur during good faith negotiations and with positive offers made in order to reach agreement by 31 March. Services to the community must be our number one priority and I again call on unions to lift all industrial actions currently in place.

New negotiations website

To help keep you up to date with the progress of all 18 wage agreements under negotiation in the State Service, I have launched a dedicated website.

Visit the Tasmanian State Service negotiations website

The aim of the website is to provide you with one location where you can find important updates about each agreement.

As milestones happen, such as when an offer is made to a union, the website will be updated to reflect the new status.

Content will be added regularly and I encourage you to visit the website as negotiations across the State Service progress.

The website will not replace my regular messaging about wage negotiations across the State Service or updates from your Head of Agency on agency-specific areas of interest. These will continue to be issued to ensure all State Service employees have access to information about the current status of wage negotiations.

Thank you for your continued professionalism and dedication and I look forward to the registration of new wage agreements for our Tasmanian State Service.

Kind regards
Kath

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks
Head of the State Service
Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet
31 Mar 2026