Essential workers from the Hunter gathered at the John Hunter Hospital this morning, in a bid to address issues surrounding wages and staff shortages.
Ahead of the event, Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey, launched a new report, detailing how much health and education workers will be out-of-pocket if the wage cap for public sector workers isn't scrapped.
The research into the impact of the wage cap on the pay packets of essential workers shows it will leave nurses, paramedics and teachers worse-off by between $10,000 and $12,000 dollars when adjusted for inflation over 3 years.
It also details how the 3% wage cap is adding to critical staff shortages, noting vacancies for education professionals in the region have tripled.
Mark Morey said something needs to be done.
"We're calling on the NSW Government to get rid of the cap, and to negotiate wage increases for its essential workers," he said.
He said scrapping the cap is the only way to address mass vacancies across the Hunter.
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| Image: Newcastle Herald |
