The NSW Government’s decision to peg the pay of nurses, paramedics, teachers, firefighters and other essential workers below the cost of living has pushed more than one in four to consider a move interstate, with serious consequences for Dominic Perrottet’s Government. Research released today demonstrates the scale of the problem and its consequences.A Unions NSW survey of 2893 workers in the state’s schools, hospitals, prisons, transport network and emergency services reveals the following:
- 27% have considered or are considering moving and working in the public sector interstate, with 54% of workers that have considered or are considering moving interstate thinking about Queensland
- 62% are currently considering leaving the public sector in the next five years, rising to 75% in education and 70% in healthcare
- 93% don’t believe their salary has kept up with the cost of living over the past five years
- 78% believe their working conditions have negatively affected the quality of the work or services they provide over the past two years
Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Morey, said the research was a wake-up call. “NSW is on the verge of a great resignation, yet Perrottet and his ministers are more interested in playing juvenile political games than retaining nurses, paramedics and teachers in NSW. “It’s not just the workers sounding the alarm, it’s the general public. Everybody knows that after ten years of wage cuts, redundancies and restructures, our hospitals, schools and emergency services are cut to the bone. In fact Perrottet is now carving into the bone and the public knows it. “The Premier and his ministers may be addicted to politics, but this is above politics. People need to know that when they call triple 0, an ambulance will arrive in time to provide critical care. And they need to know that when the ambulance arrives at the hospital, they’ll get admitted for care. Unfortunately, the Government simply sees the workers that look after our state as a line item on an expense sheet. “It’s time to end the war on the workforce and stop pushing them away. These workers are absolutely critical to our future and we just don’t have enough of them.”
