Members of the Health Services Union (HSU) have accepted the NSW Government's offer to increase wages and deliver benefits for more than 50,000 health workers across the state.
The agreement - which received over 90 per cent in support from the HSU membership - provides an 8.5 per cent increase over two years to a range of NSW Health staff, including allied health workers, hospital cleaners, scientists, security officers, and patient transport officers.
Health workers will receive an increase of 4.0 per cent plus 0.5 per cent in superannuation backdated from 1 July 2025.
From 1 July 2026, they will receive another increase of 4.0 per cent.
The agreement is consistent with the Government's new Fair Pay and Bargaining Policy and delivers significant reforms to NSW Health Awards covered by the HSU.
These expanded benefits include:
- payment of higher-grade duties beginning after 3 days or more instead of 5 days;
- increased rest periods of 10 hours between rostered shifts, up from the current 8 hours; and
- the requirement for 4 weeks' notice of roster changes, up from the current two weeks.
The Government and HSU will now begin work to modernise, consolidate, and streamline over 50 existing industrial awards.
After 12 years of wage suppression and neglect of the health system, the Minns Labor Government abolished the wages cap and is working to rebuild the health workforce.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Ryan Park:
"This is a great day for 50,000 health workers.
"We have worked closely and constructively with the Health Services Union to deliver on this significant agreement. I want to thank Gerard Hayes and his team for their constant and outcomes-focused engagement.
"We're paying health workers more, and we're going to recruit more and retain more.
"More health staff, lower wait times, better health outcomes - it's as simple as that."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis:
"This agreement marks a significant win for over 50,000 dedicated health workers across NSW. This is deserved recognition for the vital roles our allied health professionals, cleaners, scientists, security staff, and patient transport officers play in keeping our health system running.
"The Minns Labor Government continues the work of rebuilding the state's essential services and reforming the industrial relations system.
"That work began with the scrapping of the Coalition's wages cap which was in place for 12 years, introducing a fairer, modern bargaining framework, setting up an Industrial court and amending the Industrial Relations Act to include a new Object to achieve gender equality in the workplace."
