A $3 billion public sector wage freeze will instead be spent to create up to 20,000 new jobs but the NSW government faces a war over the move which will hold back a 2.5 per cent pay rise for nurses, police and teachers.

Unions NSW secretary Mr Morey told The Daily Telegraph there are multiple wage cases and awards hearings for nurses, police and the public service association in June, which will make the wages fight highly public.

“These are people who have been going to work through COVID and what are we saying to them — that the government doesn’t value them,” he said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/premiers-public-servant-wage-freeze-to-save-3b/news-story/459cddcdffd54532f82802b7bd3966fa