A statewide strike of public sector workers will go ahead this week, despite a commitment by the New South Wales government to lift wages.
Earlier today, Premier Dominic Perrottet said that workers could expect a pay rise of 3 per cent this year, with another 0.5 per cent increase likely next year.
He also announced a one-off, $3,000 cash payment for healthcare workers as a thank you for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Public Service Association NSW general secretary, Stewart Little, said that, unless the government was prepared to revise its offer, he expected 30,000 public servants to take to the streets on Wednesday, June 8.
"This offer is pure politics: Moving half a per cent and playing silly games with one-off bonuses for certain workers," Mr Little said.
"It's a shameless attempt at dividing workers against each other."
Unions — including those representing teachers, paramedics, police and other frontline staff — had been calling for a wage increase in line with inflation, which currently stands at 5.1 per cent.
Public sector wage rises had been capped at 2.5 per cent.
The union argues it is the only way to address cost-of-living pressures and staffing shortages across multiple industries.
"If frontline workers take 3 per cent — the best they could hope for under Mr Perrottet's offer — they would still be going backward by thousands of dollars a year," he said.
"If the Premier is going to insist that workers deserve a pay cut, he's going to meet fierce resistance."
According to the teachers union, the Premier has his "priorities all wrong", warning the crisis in education is set to get worse.
"The only thing that’s going up for teachers is their working hours," NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said.
"We have a dramatic decline in the number of people entering teaching. We have an increase in the numbers leaving teaching and, at the same time, have a dramatic increase in students enrolments across New South Wales."
Treasurer Matt Kean disputes the government is saying that people need to accept a cut of 2 per cent.
"Over the last 10 years, real wages for public servants in New South Wales have increased, up to December, by 5.6 per cent, that's wages increasing above inflation," Mr Kean said.
"What we have to do here is recognise that a lot of the inflation that we're seeing is temporary, caused by the war in Ukraine, by the floods."
He maintains the increase "is generous" and blames the union and Labor for the discord.
"What we're seeing here today is a joint Labor and union assault on New South Wales families and commuters.
"Even though New South Wales has one of the highest yearly pay rises in the country, Labor, Chris Minns and the union bosses declared this is the year of the strike."
The cash-bonus for the healthcare sector has also come under intense criticism, with unions labelling it "insulting" to other frontline staff.
"NSW Health workers deserve a pay rise but so do prison officers, who have had to stare down riots in our tense, locked down jails," Mr Little said.
"So do child protection officers, who are dealing with rising rates of domestic violence. So do school support officers, so do SES and RFS workers, so do Service NSW staff.
"We will keep fighting for a fair go for the people who keep our state working."
Today's announcement was part of a $4.5 billion funding package for the health sector in the upcoming state budget.
The package will fund an extra 10,000 workers over four years including 1,048 doctors, 3,517 nurses and up to 200 midwives.
