Healthcare workers in NSW will receive a $3000 thank you payment.

 

Thousands of workers will receive a one-time payment for their contributions during the pandemic. Health workers in New South Wales will receive a $3000 thank you payment.

The payment is part of the NSW government’s broader public sector wages policy, which includes raises for nurses, teachers, and paramedics.

The new two-year policy calls for a 3% pay increase per year in 2022-23 and 2023-24, with an additional 0.5 percent possible in 2023-24 for employees who contribute significantly to productivity-boosting reforms.

The new policy calls for remuneration increases of up to 6.5 percent over two years. The policy will apply to new collective bargaining agreements signed after July 1, 2022.

Employees of the NSW Health Service will receive a one-time payment of $3,000 in recognition of their work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The state government of New South Wales has announced that healthcare workers will receive a $3000 “appreciation” payment for their efforts during the pandemic and an increase in the public service wage cap.

On Monday, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the payment at a hospital in Liverpool. “All of our health workers will receive a $3000 thank you payment in appreciation for their sacrifices over the last two years,” he said.

He stated that the payment would also recognize the flu season’s strain on health workers.

“A strong public service is critical to delivering what matters to improve people’s daily lives,” Perrottet said.

“Our sound economic management enables us to invest in our people by paying higher wages and hiring more frontline workers, allowing us to continue to provide the best services in the country and a brighter economic future for the people of NSW.”\

Damien Tudehope, Minister for Employee Relations, stated that the $3000 thank you payment was in recognition of a workforce that went “above and beyond.”

“During the pandemic, the health workforce went to extraordinary lengths, earning the admiration and gratitude of the entire state,” Tudehope said.

Paramedics, midwives, cleaners, and all other permanent staff employed by the NSW Health Service are covered by the payment.

The public sector wage cap will also be raised to 3% this fiscal year, before increasing to 3.5% the following year.

The NSW Health Services Union welcomed the bonus but demanded that the wage cap be removed.

“Health and hospital workers have been hit by the ugly combination of the pandemic and short staffing for the last three years,” HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes said.

“Cleaners, paramedics, wards people, security, and therapists have put in long hours to ensure NSW’s safety.”

“This payment acknowledges the reality of what our members have endured.” For people on low incomes, such as cleaners and security guards, it is a significant increase that compensates for the 2020 pay freeze. It will enable many people to build a financial cushion against rising living costs.

“However, the HSU will continue to advocate for the elimination of the public sector wage cap.”

“The wages policy in New South Wales precludes meaningful wage bargaining.” We need a system that allows workers to bargain for wages based on the cost of living and productivity, not one based on political whim.”

The measure was one of several financial commitments made by the state government in the healthcare sector on Monday.

Perrottet also announced that over 10,000 new employees, including doctors and nurses, would be hired over the next four years as part of a $4.5 billion recruitment drive.

“Everyone in NSW is grateful to our health workers for their selfless efforts throughout the pandemic, remembering there was no vaccine for a long time and they risked their lives every day to care for patients,” he said.

“This historic investment will help us care for healthcare workers across the state, providing them with the respite and backup they require.”

“It will also increase hospital staff numbers so that quality health care can be delivered closer to home, ensuring better healthcare outcomes and a brighter future for NSW families.”

Minister for Employee Relations Damien Tudehope said a $3000 thank you payment to health workers was recognition of a workforce that had stepped up, above and beyond.

“The health workforce went to extraordinary lengths during the pandemic and has earned the admiration and gratitude of the entire state,” Tudehope said.