Led by UnionsWA, the Public Sector Alliance is comprised of the CPSU/CSA, SSTUWA, Health Services Union, WA Prison Officers Union and United Workers Union. Photo: Unions WA.
The Public Sector Alliance of WA has gathered hundreds of workers across multiple fields of government services to call for better pay, a greater workforce capacity and workplace safety.
Representing eight WA public sector unions, the alliance held a rally outside the Perth Cultural Centre on 21 August with government workers from health, education, child protection, firefighting, emergency and other services.
Although UnionsWA welcomed the State Government’s decision to scrap its wages policy, its secretary Owen Whittle said the “built-up frustration and real wage decline has seen a record number of stop works, walk offs and strikes from public sector workers”.
“Dignity is more than pay that ensures we can attract and retain the skills of a valued public sector workforce,” he said. “Of course, pay matters – there can’t be dignity when people are unable to plan for tomorrow because they’re trying to get by on yesterday’s wages.”
On top of wages, Mr Whittle said the rally was also about how more service jobs were “urgently needed” to meet community needs in Perth and across regional WA.
“When there are not enough public sector jobs or those jobs go unfilled, patients wait longer, crime goes unattended, fires blaze further, vulnerable children are left alone or at risk.”
The rally comes a month after public sector workers from agencies including the David Malcolm Centre and WA Police headquarters gathered to demand an improved pay offer from the WA Government.
WA’s Community and Public Sector Union, Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) organised and launched a planned rolling action in July for the 44,000 workers it represents across a range of departments. The union asked for a 12 per cent pay increase over the next two years and a trial of a four-day working week for around 40,000 public sector workers.
Around 1000 participated in rolling walk-offs for wages in July, after the CPSU/CSA rejected an offer of increasing wages by 11.5 per cent over three years.
Secretary Rikki Hendon said members rejected the government’s “pitiful first offer”, because “after seven consecutive surpluses, it’s time the Cook Government invested in pay and conditions that catch up with the cost of living and keep skilled workers in public sector jobs”.
HSUWA secretary Naomi McCrae: “Our members have already, in good faith, distilled their claim down to a concise list of reasonable conditions essential to attracting and retaining experienced health professionals needed for a sustainable public health system.” Photo: HSUWA.
At the latest rally, United Firefighters’ Union secretary John Marsh stood in solidarity with the WA Child Protection Workers – “who like firefighters and the rest of the public service, are suffering from years of artificial and needless wage suppression and inadequate staffing levels and investment in their work that has created unmanageable workloads”.
“With firefighting incident numbers rising due to urban expansion, climate change and driver distraction and fatigue, immediate action is necessary to address critical staffing shortages, outdated resources and poor health and safety standards, which continue to jeopardise public safety and wellbeing.
“Respecting and fairly compensating our front-line workers like child protection workers and career firefighters, is crucial to ensuring the continued provision of essential services to the people of WA.”
Members from WA’s Health Services Union (HSUWA) also joined the rally after eight months of “fruitless negotiations” with the Department of Health over workforce reforms.
Last month the union presented a petition signed by over 2200 members, calling on the Premier to urgently invest in the public health workforce. No response has yet been received.
Secretary Naomi McCrae claimed the union received a second offer from the government “as a last-ditch attempt to stop this rally from going ahead”.
“These are the exact delay tactics HSUWA members have come to expect from government,” she said. “Our members are not interested in Band-Aid solutions or a substandard offer – they want thoughtful engagement with government on how to support and retain public health workers.
“This is about more than just pay and keeping up with the cost of living for our members – it is about meaningful engagement by Health and this government with the conditions vital to retaining skilled public health workers.”
