Yahoo Finance 150,000 workers to get $2,500 cash boost and pay rise
Thousands of public-sector workers in Western Australia will receive a one-time payment of $2,500 to deal with the rising cost of living.
In addition, all public sector workers in WA will get a 3 per cent increase per annum for two years, with some low-paid workers to get the equivalent of an 8 per cent pay rise in the first year.
WA Premier Mark McGowan announced the changes to the public-sector wages policy on Sunday.
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The changes will take effect immediately for industrial agreement offers that have already been accepted.
This means someone such as a level 3 patient care assistant, whose annual salary is $55,322, will receive the equivalent of a 7.5 per cent increase in the first year, inclusive of the one-off cost-of-living payment.
Part-time and casual public-sector workers under the policy will also receive the same wage increases and a pro-rata cost-of-living payment.
The changes announced today will benefit more than 150,000 public sector workers and are expected to cost $634 million over the next four years.
Workers covered by industrial agreements that have already been accepted - based on the original policy announced in December 2021 - will receive the difference and have the $2,500 cost-of-living payment paid in coming weeks.
"We've been listening and looking at it to ensure any adjustments that can be made to our public sector wages policy best respond to the current environment sensibly and reasonably,” McGowan said.
"Our public sector workers deserve this wage increase, and I am glad we can deliver it responsibly, given our strong budget management.”
McGowan said the $2,500 payment would provide immediate assistance to WA public-sector workers when they needed it most.
"I want to acknowledge the efforts and work of our entire public-sector workforce,” he said.
“That is why the cost-of-living payment will go to every public-sector worker, not just one particular sector like in some of the other states.
"There is a range of external issues at play, such as the international events and global sanctions with energy and oil, which have also heavily contributed to the increasing cost pressures on households in Australia, and we expect this will moderate in due course."
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