The Together Union says the State Government has confirmed that members on the Defined Benefit superannuation scheme who are retiring in the near future will not be affected by the current wage freeze.
This reflects the Government’s ‘no-disadvantage’ policy.
“The Government has said these members will be no worse off due to the freeze and it will pay the outstanding amount owed to these members,” Together said in a statement.
“Members were concerned that when the Government announced a wage freeze that these consequences may eventuate. Following union pressure the Government has acknowledged these concerns and ensured that retiring workers do not miss out.”
It said that retiring defined benefit members would be no worse off as a result of the impact on their superannuation benefits from the recent deferrals of planned wage increases in public sector enterprise bargaining agreements.
“However, the ‘no-disadvantage’ policy does not apply to Members of Parliament, members of the Judges’ or Governors’ pension schemes, or senior executives, senior officers or equivalent,” the union said.
“If you are being paid at the award rate and that rate is above what your salary would have been under your enterprise bargaining agreement if the wage increases were not deferred, you may not have been disadvantaged by the deferral.”
It said that similarly, if the date for your wage increase was to have been after 1 July 2020, you might not be disadvantaged if you retired before 1 July 2021.
A 2-page fact sheet setting out the No-Disadvantage policy can be accessed on the union website at this PS News link.
