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WA unions warn of more industrial action as they reject McGowan government’s latest wage offer

WA unions warn of more industrial action as they reject McGowan government's latest wage offer

The standoff between public sector unions and the McGowan Labor government is set to escalate after unions decided to continue their campaign for better pay in a rejection of the government’s latest wage offer.

They described the latest offer as inadequate and said it did not offset inflation, declaring they would go ahead with a mass rally outside state parliament on August 17.

Unions WA Secretary Owen Whittle warned the government it had “entrenched industrial strife through the rest of their term of government.”

A joint meeting of public sector unions representing police, firefighters, prison officers, teachers, child protection, health and other public sector workers decided to press on for a “fair pay” deal for the public sector workforce.

A generic photograph of an unidentified WA Police officer wearing a high visibility police vest over a blue uniform.
Police are among the workers represented by the unions fighting for a better deal.(ABC News: Kenith Png)

Mr Whittle said the government’s revised offer was an acknowledgment the workers deserved a pay rise but it was not good enough, as interest rates and cost of living soared.

Unions want at least 5 per cent a year

The McGowan government has offered a three per cent increase in salaries this year and next, plus a $2,500 one-off payment. The unions wanted the government to come to the table with an offer of at least five per cent a year.

“The three per cent is a low wage offer in the current economic environment, it doesn’t recognize the hard work of the public sector through the pandemic and doesn’t recognize the extremely high cost of living pressures that workers are currently facing,” Mr Whittle said.

Unions WA secretary Owen Whittle speaks to journalists.
Owen Whittle says the offer does not offset the skyrocketing cost of living. (ABC News: Tabarak Al Jrood)

“The new policy does not adequately offset inflation over the two years it covers.

“Further, it comes off the back of pay going backwards in real terms for most over the past five years.”

The government upped its pay offer to public sector employees on Sunday following the ongoing campaign by unions and in acknowledgment of rising cost of living pressures.

Premier Mark McGowan said the $2,500 payment was to reflect current pressures, which he expected to ease over the next year.

WA Premier Mark McGowan speaks at a media conference wearing a suit and tie.
Mark McGowan says the payment would help workers cope with the “temporary” spike in inflation.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)

Perth currently tops all capital cities with a whopping 7.4 per cent inflation rate.

Unions also said the one-off bonus was just that, a one-off, and would be gone in a year. What was needed instead, the union argued, was a further percentage increase to base salaries.

Mr Whittle today granted the revised offer may be approved by some groups of union members “as the one-off payment does deliver benefits to low wage public sector workers”.

But for others, he said, real wage cuts will continue in the second year of the agreement.

“There is a serious problem in the second year when the one-off payment that is not on the base wage is long gone and the three per cent rise fails to keep pace with inflation.”

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Australia

Police shoot man allegedly armed with knives in WA’s Wheatbelt

Police shoot man allegedly armed with knives in WA's Wheatbelt

Police say a man allegedly ran towards an officer while carrying two knives before he was shot in the torso in a small Western Australian town this morning.

The man in his 20s is in a stable condition in hospital following the incident in the Wheatbelt town of Pingelly, about 150km south-east of Perth.

Police allege the man ran from a property towards the officer and was shot just before 5am.

Deputy Police Commissioner Allan Adams said a constable used a taser on the man, which was “ineffective”, before he shot him in the torso at a range of about 1 metre.

Deputy Commissioner Adams said police were called to the home after reports of a disturbance, including a call from a family member inside the house.

“Upon arrival, the man in his 20s ran from the address armed with knives towards police who told him to stop, deployed taser, which was ineffective, and then fired a single shot, which hit and stopped him from proceeding any further towards police, “he said.

Deputy Commissioner Adams said he had viewed the incident, which was recorded on a police body camera.

“Watching the vision I’m extremely thankful that their training came to the fore in their response to the incident,” he said.

“While there is an investigation still to be undertaken, my assessment of the vision [is] I don’t think I would’ve done anything any differently than the police in attendance.

“From the moment the man walked out of the front door to the moment the event was completed was a matter of seconds.”

The officer provided first aid before the man was transferred to hospital.

Shooting under investigation

Deputy Commissioner Adams said the incident was under investigation.

He said it was not “normal practice” to have one officer respond to a serious incident, but praised the constable’s response.

“There were some resourcing issues in the immediate vicinity at that time that precluded the attendance of more,” he said.

“Whilst it’s not desirable a single officer attend an event like this… I don’t sit here in any way saying that the police officer shouldn’t have gone.

“The officer made an assessment at that time that it was in the best interest of the community to attend straight away. He could not have foreseen what was to eventuate and I’m sure if he did, he would’ve waited a bit longer .”

Counseling has been offered to the officer and family members of the injured man.

Great Southern police were meeting with Indigenous community leaders in the town this afternoon.

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