WA unveils new public sector wages policy

The Western Australia government has unveiled a new wages policy that allows for bargaining with individual public sector unions.

Premier Roger Cook said the policy will provide "flexibility in bargaining" to address the industrial issues faced by the public sector workforce.

"It will deliver fair but financially sustainable wage increases and conditions of employment, that are reasonable in the context of each negotiation," Cook said in a statement.

Enterprise Agreements in policy

Under the new policy, the WA government said it will negotiate Enterprise Agreements of up to three years in length. It will apply to negotiations for all Enterprise Agreements that expired on or after October 1, 2023.

Among the government's goals in its latest policy is to attract and retain skilled and valued public sector workers.

Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk underscored that it is crucial that public sector workers feel valued and appreciated.

"The bargaining flexibility offered under the new Wages Policy will be critical moving forward as we work to address the various issues and needs of individual public sector workforces and their unions," McGurk said.

"We continue to engage positively with all unions and work towards settlements of outstanding negotiations."

$2.8 billion prepared for salary hikes

Meanwhile, the government said it has provisioned $2.8 billion to pay for additional salary hikes and other non-wage workforce conditions as part of the new industrial arrangements.

Treasurer Rita Saffioti said the government is in a position to make the change due to its "strong financial management."

"We want to have the financial capacity to deliver fair wage increases, continue to support the workforce with better conditions, while also ensuring our finances stay strong so we don't put our State in the same position as others who are cutting services and creating redundancies," Saffioti said.