NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey faced a grilling from a crowd of public health workers furious at the state government over unmet wage promises.
Mr Mookhey was confronted with multiple tough questions, taunts and barbs mid-speech while speaking at the annual conference for the Health Services Union (HSU).
The organisation is one of the state’s most powerful unions, and represents public health workers including paramedics, orderlies, hospital cleaners, and those working in imaging, pathology and disability care.
Speaking to about 500 delegates in Sydney on Monday, attendees grew increasingly belligerent towards the Treasurer, who appeared in place of NSW Premier Chris Minns, who is currently on leave.
Crowds were especially critical of the government’s four per cent wage increase offer to all public sector workers, which has been lashed as not enough.
One emotional member slammed the Treasurer for “not understanding” the struggles of working class people, and questioned whether Mr Mookhey received a pay rise when going from opposition to government.
“When your families go to hospital, who looks after them? We do. Not the nurses, we do. We make sure everything is done,” said Edalina Hondros, a clinical support officer working in Fairfield. The Treasurer attempted to quell the dissent and said the government would continue to bargain “in good faith,” and said it “was not correct of the labor movement to suggest it’s not a big win”.
“That is something this movement should be proud of,” he said.
“We respect your democratic processes. We respect you have every right to consider our offer.”
While they were in the minority, members in the crowd could be heard chanting: “Pay us more”.
Mr Mookhey also drew growing dissent from the crowd when he announced the government would work to reform salary packaging arrangements with workers on the Health Services Union Awards.
Under current arrangements, the government takes 50 per cent of an employee’s tax savings made through salary packaging benefits, however Mr Mookhey said this would decrease to 30 to 40 per cent from July 2023. Eventually, 100 per cent of salary packaging benefits would remain with HSU members, however he did not disclose a time frame for the change.
Prior to the election, Mr Minns wrote to the HSU promising to return 100 per cent of salary packaging benefits to union members.
Mr Mookhey’s announcement drew ire and vocal jabs from the crowd, like: “How hard is it,” and “It’s not your money”. Some members wore red hats with the phrase: “Stop the steal”.
Earlier, the government announced the current wages cap would be scrapped in September this year, with public sector workers offered a 4 per cent pay rise, plus a 0.5 per cent increase to superannuation. Union bosses will now take the offer to their 47,000 members before it is enacted into various industry awards.
NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes has been vocal in his criticism of the scrapping of the public service wages cap, which he has lashed as being too slow to change, and not sizeable enough to meet the rising cost-of-living.
While he acknowledged the government were “making steps”, he said it wasn’t enough.
“I don’t want a war with these guys but I’m not going to back off, and (it’s a) great credit to Daniel (Mookhey) for turning up today,” he said.
NSW state delegates will vote on Monday afternoon to decide if the HSU will put the four per cent pay increase to members for a vote, or continue negotiations, with industrial action likely.
Given the reception during Mr Mookhey’s speech, Mr Hayes said the latter was most probable.
“We have got a view that 4 per cent is not good enough when we’re seeing interest rates going up, when we’re seeing cost-of-living … well and truly above 4 per cent,” said Mr Hayes.
“We need to do better and we need to do more.
“It’s really incumbent on the government to do more than talk and they need to actually acknowledge all people who work in health.”
Mr Hayes has also suggested a flat $3500 salary increase instead of the four per cent rise, which would equal almost an 8 to 9 per cent salary increase for hospital cleaners when salary packaging measures are factored in.
He said this would mean “those who need it most, can get some kind of relief now”.
At the end of his speech, Mr Mookhey was commended for answering questions from HSU President Mark Sterrey, who said he was a “longstanding ally” of the union.
“He always turns up to (face) HSU members, whether it’s good or bad,” Mr Sterrey said.
“I wouldn’t like to be the treasurer at the moment … after 12 years of conservatives ruling the state.”
The Treasurer also paid tribute to the family of Steven Tougher – the NSW paramedic who was killed after he was stabbed while on shift in a Campbelltown parking lot.
