We got together on Friday and discussed a plan to tackle the crisis in Radiation Therapy.

Afterwards, we had a meeting with the government where we put the plan for a retention allowance on the table and told the negotiators that if they can’t make a reasonable offer within the next fortnight, industrial action will be escalated.

The government made some further revisions in relation to their offer – extraordinarily, the only additional salary increases were from level RT 4-2-1 to RT 5-2. Anyone classified at RT 4-1-4 QUAL or below was left with the same offer that was overwhelmingly rejected last December.

We know that you’ve been talking to patients, their families, and to the community – and we encourage you to keep doing this and to tell your story about what is really happening.

The immense competition for radiation professionals, the below par salary levels in Tasmania, our empty graduate pool, and the fact we have vacant positions that cannot be filled are all issues that the government must address if we are to see sustainable radiation therapy services maintained here.

The last thing health professionals want to do is fight with the Department about their value, but if that’s what it takes to get the message through, you’ve made it clear that we’ll stick together and keep speaking up.

We’ll be having further discussions with members over the next week or so, please keep your eye out for updates.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us via HACSUassist on 1300 880 032.