UNION WINS: Proposed Cuts to NSW Public Sector Long-service Leave Entitlements Defeated

The New South Wales government proposed to cut back long-service leave entitlements for public sector workers. The AWU and other Unions quickly lobbied the NSW upper house to ensure this bill was defeated this June.

The bill was part of Gladys Berejiklian’s $3.2 billion cost-cutting to the public service sector, including forests, national parks, police, public schools and hospitals.

If the Berejiklian government had the bill passed, long service leave entitlements for NSW public workers would have been reduced from five to three months for each subsequent period of 10 years’ service. That is, new public sector workers would get 40% less of what they should be entitled.

 

Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope used the opportunity to denigrate public sector workers, by stating:

“But those opposite would prefer that workers in western Sydney and the regions support the bloated entitlements of inner-city public servants.”

This statement is anti-worker and not the reality of what would have happened.

 

The AWU and other unions, who also represent frontline public sector workers, lobbied the state’s upper house and quickly blocked the bill.

Public sector workers entitlements were protected.