NSW health workers pause threat of industrial action after receiving new pay offer from government

Health workers in New South Wales have paused plans for industrial action over their pay dispute after receiving a deadline-day offer from the government.

The Health Services Union (HSU) had threatened to begin action including strikes next week unless the government offered a six per cent pay rise for workers today.

Instead, they received an offer including a $3500 increase to base pay rates and a 0.5 per cent rise in superannuation.

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That flat-rate $3500 offer, which will now be put to union members, will see the state's lowest-paid health workers get a pay rise of up to eight per cent.

"The cost of living crisis facing HSU members is real and it is crippling. Health workers put their lives on the line to protect the public. The least they deserve is a decent pay rise," HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said.

"They will carefully consider this offer over the coming weeks.

"While the government has made some progress in its offer to health workers, it must remember the promises it made before the election.

"Now it must set out a timeline for delivering on all of these commitments rather than leaving workers in the dark."

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A potential sticking point still remains in the form of salary packaging.

The new government offer includes an increase to the proportion of packaged benefits workers can keep, up to 60 per cent from 50 per cent.

Workers have previously demanded that figure be at 100 per cent.

Premier Chris Minns and his Labor party went to the state election promising to abolish the public sector wage cap and to provide workers with at least a 3.5 per cent pay rise.

Prior to today's last-ditch negotiations, the government had offered the HSU a four per cent increase.

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