UNION PAY RISE SHOULD BE SHARED

Date: 07 September 2006

The NSW Public Service Association today called on NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam to share a four per cent pay increase across his whole office, rather than giving all the money to a select few.

It has been revealed that the Opposition leader has decided to pool the four per cent increase and pay it to just four of the 14 workers he employs.

In contrast the National Party has shared the increase equally among all staff.

NSW Public Service Association general secretary John Cahill said that this was never the intention of the union-negotiated wages deal.

"Unions negotiate pay rises to be shared by all workers, the idea of taking that benefit and passing it on to the select few is against everything we stand for," Mr Cahill said.

"This decision is an insult to the Opposition leader's workforce and an insult to the PSA members across the public sector who fought hard for this collective agreement."

The PSA has written to Mr Debnam seeking responses to the following questions.

• Was the right to a four per cent pay rise communicated to his staff?
• Was the question of distribution of the pay rise discussed with your staff prior to your decision to deny them increases?
• What criteria was applied in determining who should benefit from the pay rise?
• And is this the approach he intends spreading across the public sector should you win power in March 2007?

Mr Cahill will be seeking to meet with members of the Opposition leader's office to explain their rights to the wage increase.

For further information

Contact:	Lucy Muirhead
Union:	EMC
Contact Mobile:	0402 730 710
WWW:	http://psa.labor.net.au/

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