The United Workers Union and the South Australian Government have reached an “in-principle” wages agreement. Photo: United Workers Union.
The South Australian Government has reached an in-principle agreement with the United Workers Union on an enterprise agreement that would deliver cost-of-living support to public sector workers.
Talks between the union and the government have been taking place in recent weeks, with Premier Peter Malinauskas joining the negotiations.
“I am pleased that after months of good-faith negotiations, the State Government has been able to reach an agreement with the United Workers Union which will deliver a significant cost-of-living boost for their members,” Deputy Premier Kyam Maher said.
South Australia’s Public Sector Enterprise Agreement covers about 6000 workers in a broad variety of roles, including aged care, early childhood education, disability services, hospital orderlies, catering, sterilisation technicians and security services.
Under the new agreement, the government has recognised that many of those workers were among the lowest paid in the public sector and has put forward a payment package to rectify this.
The measures include:
- Aged-care, disability services and childcare workers to receive immediate parity with their equivalent federal award.
- Other workers covered by the agreement will receive yearly wage rises of 4 per cent from 1 July, 2025, 3.5 per cent from 1 July, 2026, and 3.5 per cent from 1 July, 2025, in addition to supplementary adjustment payments.
- Disability service workers to receive a first-aid kit allowance to recognise the skills they maintain to support their clients.
- Introduction of a penalty rates increase for ordinary work hours on Sundays to 200 per cent for disability workers and 175 per cent for all other workers.
- Codified entitlements for subsidised parking and free public transport for health workers.
- Government commitment to a review of current pay relativities before the negotiation of the next enterprise agreement.
“These workers provide essential services to some of the most vulnerable people in our community – whether that be disability support, early childhood education, aged care, or the caterers, orderlies and security staff that keep our hospitals running,” Mr Maher said.
“These workers deserve a real wage increase.”
Union delegates have endorsed the agreement, but the negotiated measures will proceed to a ballot involving all workers covered by the proposal.
