HSU members will pause plans for industrial action while they consider a pay offer from the NSW government made today following negotiations.
The offer affecting 70,000 health workers, including hospital cleaners, wards people, allied health professionals and security officers, includes:
A flat $3,500 increase to base pay rates instead of a four per cent pay rise
A 0.5 per cent increase to superannuation
An increase in the proportion of salary packaging benefits workers can keep from 50% to 60%, backdated to July 1 2023
Immediate commencement of Award reform
The offer will be put to HSU members to consider over the coming weeks.
HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said: “The cost of living crisis facing HSU members is real and it is crippling. Health workers put their lives on the line to protect the public. The least they deserve is a decent pay rise.
“They will carefully consider this offer over the coming weeks.
“While the government has made some progress in its offer to health workers, it must remember the promises it made before the election.
“Now it must set out a timeline for delivering on all of these commitments rather than leaving workers in the dark.”
HSU members currently have to hand over half their salary packaging tax savings to the NSW government, which can be worth several thousand dollars per year – a significant sum for someone on a modest wage. Before the election, the NSW government promised to deliver 100% of salary packaging tax benefits.
