Hunter members of the Public Service Association (PSA) are going ahead with today's industrial action, despite the State Government's pay rise in its upcoming budget.
Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Monday the Government's new wages policy, which would lift the long-standing 2.5 percent pay cap to 3 percent, with a one-off $3,000 bonus for NSW Health employees.
However, PSA members are calling the offer insulting, saying it would represent a significant pay cut to workers in real terms, and does not keep pace with the current or rising cost of living.
PSA Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright, says the union's distress has not been alleviated.
"What hasn't changed is, our members are still angry, and they're actually even angrier, with the scale of this offer," he said.
"The Premier has sought to divide the public sector, saying there's good ones and bad ones; some are deserving of the $3000 dollar bonus for working through the pandemic, and others in frontline roles that we represent, aren't."
Employee Services Minister Damien Tudehope described the union's decision as "disappointing", while the Premier maintains the offer is "fair and responsible", and balances the concerns of unions with the Government's budget constraints.
The state-wide strike will see a number of essential services impacted, with members hoping it will cause the Government to revise their offer.
"It will certainly effect all sorts of public services where our members work and the public rely on them; frontline services that the Premier seems to be ignoring," Mr Wright said.
"Things like the courts, things like community services and child protection workers, things like Service NSW and things like prisons and schools."
"We hope they see sense, but this Government doesn't have a good track record of seeing sense. We will review our options after the strike action and whether it takes the attention of the Government."
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| Image credit: Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp. |
