Premier's pay cuts threaten services

Date: 30 May 2008

The NSW Public Service Association will today release figures showing the NSW public sector faces a staffing crisis that will be heightened by State Government plans to cut their take home pay.

PSA General Secretary John Cahill will today release figures showing that one-third of its members will leave the public sector within five years- leaving a huge dent in the public sector workforce.

The PSA poll of 2589 public sector workers reveals:

• One in ten respondents plan to leave the public sector within the next year.
• One in three surveyed workers say that don't expect to be working in the public sector five years from now, and
• 72% believe management's priority is more about meeting budget than serving the public.

"The public sector is the canary in the coal-mine of our rapidly aging population - the looming skills crisis for the rest of the economy is hitting the public sector now."

Delegates representing 100,000 workers across NSW will reject the government's bid to cut their take home pay as a further threat to public services in NSW.

Mr Cahill said that replacing retiring workers will become impossible if the Premier insists on delivering a real wage cut to all public servants.

"NSW taxpayers will be left holding the can when the public sector reaches crisis point and service cuts begin to take effect - the public deserves better.

"The Government's own research shows the public sector is on average, ten years older than the rest of the workforce - the facts are, public servants are reaching retirement age at alarming rates."

Research by the Premier's Department found that 57 per cent of Public sector workers over 45 years of age will have retired by 2015 and 27 per cent of those will be gone by 2010.

"This pay claim is about more than dollars and cents, it is about ensuring we can maintain the quality of public services in NSW beyond 2010.

"The skills drain out of the public service will reach crisis point during the term of this industrial agreement."

For further information

Contact:	John Cahill, General Secretary
Union:	Public Service Association of NSW
Phone:	9220 0982
WWW:	http://psa.labor.net.au/

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