The Government has made their initial pay offer to all public sector workers. The HSU has gone back to the Government outlining members’ concerns:

1. HSU members have identified workplace issues that need to be addressed in NSW Health. These are listed in the HSU members’ Core Conditions log of claims.
2. Award Reform must be progressed in a timely manner.
3. The 3.5% pay rise offer for 2024 is already less than the increase to the cost of living this year. 3% pay rises in 2025 and 2026 may not keep up with increases to cost of living.

The NSW Government has now responded to HSU members’ claims. You can read their correspondence here.

What does the letter say?

• Wages: The government has not revised its offer of 9.5 per cent over three years, as well as an additional one-off cost of living adjustment dependent on inflation.
• Superannuation: a 0.5% increase to superannuation in 2024 and another 0.5% increase to superannuation in 2025.
• Salary packaging: The government confirmed they will return salary packaging benefits to employees in HSU classifications. The benefits will increase from 70 to 85 per cent this financial year (no date has been confirmed), and from 85 to 100 per cent as of 1 July 2025.
• HSU claims: The government has given an undertaking that they would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow for members to negotiate around the issues in the HSU Core Conditions log of claims.
• Allied Health Awards: The government is open to considering a one-year deal for Allied Health members to allow the ongoing process of award reform.
• No extra claims: The offer includes a No Extra Claims clause. This means that wages, salaries, rates of pay, allowances can’t be changed except by agreement. But, as outlined above, the Government would allow ongoing negotiations about Award Reform including the Core Conditions log of claims.

What now?

This offer will be discussed by HSU delegates at the Conference next week, then all HSU members will vote on the offer to determine the Union’s position.