Dominic Perrottet's so-called pay rise for public sector workers is a con job and the public sector heroes of the pandemic will remain worse paid than their counterparts in other states.
While the Government's wage freeze policy has been lifted, the legislated 2.5 per cent wage cap remains in place.
This is a policy widely recognised as a handbrake on both public and private sector wages, a point acknowledged by Reserve Bank Governor, Philip Lowe who previously warned that "Caps on wages growth in public sectors right across the country are another factor contributing to the subdued wage outcomes."
Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Morey, said NSW workers would continue to languish under the Government's policy.
"Dominic Perrottet is not lifting the wages cap. It will remain at 2.5% as it has for the past decade.
"This policy has strangled wage growth across both the public and private sectors. As any decent economist will explain, the public sector has always been the pace setter for wages. When you stop public sector workers bargaining for higher wages it has a chilling effect across the economy.
"A decade of this policy has left large swathes of the NSW public sector well behind their interstate counterparts. That's why we have a huge retention problem. Police, paramedics, nurses and teachers can all enjoy better cost of living in cities like Canberra and Brisbane. Unsurprisingly, many are taking up the option. Housing prices are booming, public sector workers are being priced out of this State.
"Dominic Perrottet seems to think the best way of stimulating the economy is by subsidising boozy lunches for bankers. How about allowing the people who got us through the pandemic, bushfires and floods to bargain for decent wage rises?"
Mark Morey 0425 231 812
Nick Lucchinelli 0422 229 032
