NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced a pay freeze for all public sector workers.

Many essential workers, including police, paramedics, and nurses, will not receive the scheduled 2.5 per cent pay rise this year.

Secretary of the Health Services Union Gerard Hayes told Mark Levy the pay freeze will have a community-wide effect. 

“Freezing pay rises is going to actually lose more jobs.

“Health is the biggest employer in NSW… health workers who get an increase, and this is a small increase… any increase will be spent in those communities, which will employ people in the communities.

“If those increases don’t flow, we see people tightening their belt and not spending as much so that trickle-down effect doesn’t occur.”

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NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has defended the wage freeze, telling Mark Levy the decision is “right … fair, and it’s for the greater good”.

Mr Perrottet argued the money saved can be reinvested in economic stimulus and keeping people in jobs.

“I accept that it’s not going to be a popular decision, but we’re not elected to make popular decisions.

“I think it’s very difficult to give a pay rise to people Mark, in this environment, when there’s queues outside Centrelink.”

Mark Levy blasted the state government’s actions.

“When the Commissioner of Police in NSW gets an $80,000 pay rise, and a matter of weeks later the Treasurer and the Premier say to the rank-and-file members of the NSW Police Force ‘sorry, you’re getting zip, nothing, zero, duck egg’, please.

“How is that ‘fair’?”

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Image: Getty