Acting Branch Secretary Melanie Bray (centre) said the agreement would begin to undo the damage of years of restrictive wage caps. Photo: CPSU/CSA.
Following months of industrial action, WA public sector workers have accepted the government’s second offer that will see pay rises of 12.5 per cent over the next three years.
On top of the wage increase, 85 per cent of the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) agreed to a raft of improved conditions in their successful bid for a replacement of the Public Sector Service Association Agreement 2022.
Acting Branch Secretary Melanie Bray said the improvements secured in this agreement were thanks to the efforts of members and delegates, the leaders in public sector workplaces, who used their collective power to fight for an offer that would begin to address the sector’s attraction and retention crisis.
“These wins were not gifted to us; they were hard fought for by members right across the breadth and width of the public sector and our state,” said Ms Bray. “Hundreds of CPSU/CSA members took collective action in and out of their workplaces to put pressure on the government to deliver a second and improved offer, and that is what they have achieved.
“There’s more to do, and while our members didn’t secure everything in this round of bargaining, the conversation is well and truly underway.
“The union will continue to push and fight for outcomes that matter to our members, like a four-day workweek, gender affirmation leave and improved superannuation for public sector workers.”
Nearly 35,000 general public sector workers will benefit from the agreement, including child protection workers, licensing centre staff, park rangers and WorkSafe staff.
The offer includes salary increases of 5 per cent in the first year, followed by 4 per cent in 2025 and 3.5 per cent in 2026.
It also provides an increase to paid parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers, the introduction of reproductive health leave and disability leave, access to permanency after 12 months of employment, as well as a range of provisions supporting regional workers.
In late August, the Public Sector Alliance of WA gathered hundreds of workers across multiple fields of government services to call for better pay, a greater workforce capacity and workplace safety. Photo: CPSU/CSA.
The agreement was reached under the WA Government’s principles-based wages policy, which came into effect in December last year.
It will now be subject to drafting between the CPSU/CSA and Government Sector Labour Relations, before it is registered with the WA Industrial Relations Commission.
Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk said the government was especially pleased to see an increase in paid parental leave entitlement.
“It is our goal to make the WA public sector an employer of choice, and improved paid parental leave for both partners sends the right message in a competitive labour market.”
