Yesterday, after requests dating back to February 2022, representatives of the PSA finally met with the Government with respect to your 2022 salaries claim.

Despite being the relevant decision maker, Premier Perrottet declined an opportunity to attend. He instead referred the matter to the Minister of Employment Relations, Damien Tudehope MLC.

The PSA raised its three-part claim, which you can read in further detail below, and sought a response from the State Government.

Our claim: Your union demands the Premier, Mr Perrottet, provides all Public Sector workers with a minimum wage increase of 5.2 per cent, exclusive of any increase to superannuation, and provides for the payment of superannuation on the unpaid portion of the first 12 months of parental leave for our members.

Minister Tudehope advised he could not provide a detailed offer at this time. He instead referred the PSA to the Premier’s comments in the media as some sort of assurance that something, of unknown scope, would be announced in the State’s Budget on 21 June 2022.

He urged PSA members to “be patient” and await that news.

Unfortunately, Minister Tudehope saw fit to make a comment in this morning’s media that somehow this meeting was productive and conciliatory.

The PSA believes your claim for a salary increase in the face of spiralling cost of living challenges should not be a political grandstanding moment for Premier Perrottet, particularly while your spending power drops, putting essential products and services even further out of reach.

The PSA also believes that if the Perrottet Government had any intention to resolve this matter and recognise the value of your work it has had ample opportunity to do so to date and this is just further delay on their part.

We have reached the point of palpable anger among our membership because our claim for a fair and reasonable salary increase has been ignored. The blame for this lies squarely at the foot of the Perrottet Government.

Accordingly, this morning the PSA Executive resolved the following:

The PSA met with the Minister for Industrial Relations on 1 June 2022 with a view to try to progress our wages claim. Unfortunately, the Minister was only able to reiterate what has been in the media for some weeks, namely that an unspecified announcement would be made in the State Budget in late June and our members should patiently await this. 

Accordingly, as there is nothing new to put to either the Central Council or the membership in response to our fair and reasonable salary claim, Executive resolves that the resolution of 27 May 2022 remain in place and the NSW government be advised of this decision.

Further, that a Bulletin be sent today to PSA members re these developments.

We have also written to the Government to advise them of this decision. You can read our letter HERE.

We cannot wait any longer. It is time for our members to make themselves heard and the Perrottet Government to listen.

The Public Sector Needs a Pay Rise!