The NSW Budget was handed down today, with no announcement concerning an Uplift in remuneration for Sheriff Officers.

Sheriff Officers are fed up with the constant delay and repeated pushback to further bureaucratic processes. The PSA met with the Office of the Sheriff today and understands that they need to receive “bargaining parameters” from the Senior Officials Wages Advisory Committee (SOWAC), which only enhances disillusionment with the drawn out process.

In July of 2022, the Uplift process was announced with the statement:

“The organisational uplift process will provide us with the capacity and opportunity to undertake a holistic review of our current and future services. We will be reviewing our commitments and our existing staffing levels to ensure that we have the operational capability and capacity required to continue to meet our increasing service delivery demands, in consultation with all staff. This will also include a review of the remuneration levels of our workforce to properly reflect the responsibilities of our staff.”

In September 2023 it was stated that the Organisational Uplift is undergoing further refinement within the Department of Communities and Justice with the intention to progress the Uplift proposal in the next budget cycle in May 2024.

The 2024 Budget has come and gone, and still there has been no action taken by the Government to provide fair remuneration in recognition of the responsibilities of Sheriff Officers.

Time for action

The PSA has previously briefed the NSW Government on the retention crisis for Sheriff Officers, and wrote to the Premier’s Department as recently as 27 May 2024 stating that any Remuneration offer for the wider public sector would need to be in addition to a structural reset or salary adjustment for a number of areas, including Sheriff Officers.  The PSA will continue discussions with the Government and the Office of the Sheriff; however, members are rightly ready to take further action.

The PSA is organising an urgent Special Meeting of the Sheriff’s Office Vocational Branch Advisory Group (SOVBAG) for next week.  What action Sheriff Officers may wish to take to achieve fair remuneration, as repeatedly promised for nearly two years, will be considered.

The continuing campaign for fair remuneration will only be successful if a united workforce shows solidarity and strength. The only way to join the campaign is to join the PSA.