A new offer made by the state government of New South Wales is designed to prevent the impending implementation of strike action by providing a pay raise of up to 8.5% for the lowest-paid health professionals in the state.
Following a vote by its members to reject Labor’s pledge to raise salaries in the public sector by 4%, the Health Services Union (HSU) has given the Minnesotan government until this coming Friday to present a new pay deal. This comes as a result of the HSU’s ultimatum.
The government made an offer to boost the members of the union’s base wage by $3,500, but this raise would not apply to medical professionals such as nurses and doctors. The offer also includes an increase from fifty per cent to sixty per cent in the permissible proportion of salary-packaging entitlements that workers can obtain.
Gerard Hayes, the secretary of the HSU, stated that the new offer would result in a pay increase of between 4.5 and 8.5 per cent for sixty per cent of the organization’s employees.
According to what he claimed, the 8.5% raise would most likely go to security guards and hospital cleaning personnel whose salaries range between $50,000 and $55,000. These workers are eligible for the amended offer.
He said, “This is an amazing day to get 8.5%,” referring to the recent increase. “It’s literally the difference between being able to buy milk or buying bread or not being able to buy either of those things.
This past week, the treasurer of New South Wales, Daniel Mookhey, was heckled at an HSU conference over the planned 4% pay raise. Health workers argued that the increase would not be sufficient to match the rising cost of living.
On Wednesday, the union threatened to escalate strike action beginning on Monday if the government did not fulfil its criteria for either a pay increase of 6.5% that included superannuation; or a flat increase to base rates and for health employees to obtain the full benefit of salary packaging. These demands were presented to the government on Wednesday.
On Monday, members will vote on whether or not to put an immediate halt to industrial action while they review the new offer.
Hayes pleaded with the higher-earning union members who would be worse off as a result of the pact to “do me a favour” and join his cause. These members make more than $150,000 annually.
“Please assist me in taking care of these people who are having difficulty. He remarked, “I am aware that we are all struggling, but some of these people are struggling more than others, so I am asking our membership for some compassion.” “I know that we are all struggling, but some of these people are struggling more than others.”
However, Hayes stated that the offer made by the government to raise pay packaging benefits for employees – which would result in an additional $10 per week after taxes – did not go far enough and that the offer should be rejected. He stated that he will be meeting with government officials over the course of the upcoming weekend in an effort to further increase this and to establish a schedule for it to reach 100%.
The new proposal will not apply to paramedics because they are pursuing their own bid under a professional rates claim in order to have their earnings brought up to the same level as those in other states. Hayes indicated that this might represent an increase in compensation of anywhere between 30 and 45 per cent.
Matt Kean, who is the health spokesperson for the opposition in New South Wales, has criticized the government for what he calls the “dangerous precedent” it has set by “throwing money” at unions when they threaten to go on strike.
“That’s going to be paid for by someone, and I fear it’s going to be the families of NSW that are going to have cost of living measures ripped away from them,” he said. “That’s going to be paid for by someone.”
