Western Australia: Basically a cheeky little country unto itself. These folks have their own time zone, had their specialised COVID border, and are approximately 5,000 lightyears away from every other capital city.
The Western Australian Government has also raised its wages for a whack of its workers. Which, while not a unique action for a state to undertake, is still worth discussing. So, which folks are they money boosting? And is Mark McGowan’s party actually making any life-changing policy changes? Whelp, here are all the deets:
Which Western Australian Workers Are Getting a Pay Rise?
All public service workers in WA are getting a three percent wage boost. Ergo, this bump is happening for some nurses, school teachers, librarians, full-time workers, part-time workers, and casual workers, just to name a few. But this three percent boost isn’t a one-off thing. It’s taking place per annum for two years. Moreover, where an agreement has been reached, some of these people will be getting a $2500 cost of living payment.
“Our public sector workers deserve this wage increase, and I am glad we can deliver it responsibly given our strong budget management,” said McGowan. He additionally stated, “Today’s announcement continues my government’s commitment to delivering cost of living relief for Western Australians and our hard working public sector workers – building on our $400 Household Electricity Credit, one of a kind WA Free RAT program, capped regional airfares, capped Perth public transport, and other initiatives to support the broader WA community.”
Related: Here’s What a New Minimum Wage Could Mean For You
Related: NSW Health Workers Score $3000 Appreciation Payments
How Are the Unions Reacting to Western Australia’s Pay Rise?
While UnionsWA feels like these changes are helpful, they believe that they don’t go far enough. This can be demonstrated in the comments of their secretary, Owen Whittle. “The one-off payment of $2,500 and a 3 percent pay rise for this year will protect low and some lower paid public sector workers,” noted Whittle. But, on the other hand, he also said, “However, with inflation running at 7.4% annually, this new policy continues the trend of below cost of living pay increases for many of WA’s public sector workers.”
But what does this all mean? What will happen next? “Unions will take time to work with our members and delegates to respond more fully to the McGowan Government’s changed policy,” asserted Whittle. We’ll keep you in the loop if this situation escalates.
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