Goulburn District Unions (GDU) members staged a protest against freezing of 2.5% pay rises for nurses, teachers and public sector workers on Monday, November 16.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The protest took place outside Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman's office. GDU president Anna Wurth-Crawford said they are objecting to the public sector pay freeze which will impact thousands of workers in Goulburn.
"Instead of the 2.5%, it will be only 0.3% pay increase which is not keeping up with inflation. We are already struggling due to COVID-19. Now, a third of the workforce will not have extra money to spend in our community," she said.
Meanwhile, Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman issued a statement regarding the protest.
"I note my team and I were in the office at 8am this morning and there was no protest," she said.
"The NSW Government has taken the decision to cap pay rises for public servants at 1.5 per cent from the 2021-22 FY over the forward years to ensure we can invest in job creating projects throughout NSW.
"This decision is based on the current and predicted economic conditions and what is in the best interests of the people of NSW.
"Labor and the unions rejected an offer that would've seen non-executive frontline personnel such as nurses, police, paramedics and teachers receive a one-off payment of $1,000 in lieu of the 2.5 per cent salary increase (for the first year of new agreements) and reverting back to a 2.5 per cent increase in the following years.
"This also included a job guarantee for 12 months in recognition of their tireless work to keep the community safe throughout the pandemic.
"I think it is crucial we put this into perspective; at a time where thousands of people have lost their jobs, a public servants job is safe. A temporary wage pause to ensure job security in a time of economic uncertainty is a no brainer. My office has also received comments of a similar nature; but certainly not from the unions whom want to put jobs at risk.
"I certainly value the work of all of our hard working public servants but this is about creating jobs for those that don't have a secure job, or even a job at all."
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up below.
