The NSW Government has finalised an offer with the Health Services Union (HSU) to increase wages and deliver benefits for more than 50,000 health workers across the state.
The agreement 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.
The pay increase is made up of 4.0 per cent plus 0.5 per cent in superannuation from 1 July 2025, and 4.0 per cent from 1 July 2026.
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 agreement also confirms the Government and HSU have committed to continue working cooperatively together to modernise, consolidate, and streamline over 50 existing industrial awards.
This deal forms part of the Government's comprehensive plan to deliver the long-term repair of healthcare across NSW.
After 12 years of neglect and a lack of investment in our health system, the Minns Labor Government is continuing to rebuild this essential service by investing in the workers that deliver them.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer Daniel Mookhey:
"This offer to increase wages and deliver benefits to more than 50,000 health workers across NSW is a major next step in repairing our state's healthcare.
"These allied health workers, hospital cleaners, scientists, security officers, patient transport officers and others play a crucial role in giving the people of NSW the care they expect.
"The Minns Government continues to invest in our state's essential services by ensuring certainty for the people who provide them, and for the people who rely on them."
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Ryan Park:
"We are rebuilding a supported and capable workforce.
"We abolished the wages cap and established a new bargaining framework.
"We are working to fix recruitment and retention.
"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 is the first multi-year agreement in over a decade for these essential health workers and represents a significant step forward in recognising their vital contribution and ensuring fairer pay and conditions into the future.
"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.
"We were elected on a mandate to fix the recruitment and retention crisis in essential services and that is what we are doing."
