Pay rise welcome, fight continues

Date: 10 August 2011

The Public Service Association (PSA) has today welcomed a 2.5% pay rise awarded to NSW public service workers as it continues to fight the government's public sector wage cap

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission today awarded the pay rise, backdated to 1 July, to 80,000 workers covered by the Crown Employees Award including prison officers, community service workers and school administrators.

The PSA will continue to fight for a higher pay rise, pending the outcome of another case before the IRC in which the union is challenging the constitutional validity of the O'Farrell Government's new public sector industrial relations laws.

John Cahill, General Secretary of the PSA, welcomed the interim pay rise while reaffirming the PSA's commitment to fight for a better deal.

"The bigger challenge, whether the NSW's new Industrial Relation laws are legally valid, is still before the courts - and we will continue to fight against these laws and for fair wage increases and the integrity of the IRC," Mr Cahill said.

"When the NSW Coalition Government changed the law earlier this year to cap public sector wages significantly below the rate of inflation they not only limited the independent IRC's judicial power, but they made day-to-day life harder for thousands of NSW families.

"Today's verdict, which backdates the 2.5 per cent wage rise to 1 July 2011, gives some relief to these families, but it's not enough.

"We maintain that the law changes rushed through by the new Premier are constitutionally invalid and we will continue to fight this issue in court - we will take it all the way to the High Court if we have to.

"This is just the beginning of our fight for fair wage increases and to overturn the unfair laws made by the NSW Parliament.

"As soon as the IRC delivers it's judgment on the validity of the industrial relations amendments, we will continue the process for our members to receive the wage increases that they deserve."

For further information

Contact:	John Cahill, General Secretary
Union:	Public Service Association of NSW
Phone:	9220 0900
Contact Mobile:	0419 413 577
WWW:	http://psa.labor.net.au/

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