SA’s lowest paid health workers still fighting for pay deal
SA’s lowest-paid health workers say the ramping crisis can’t be fixed without them, but the government is refusing to put a fair pay offer on the table. They will rally at the Premier’s office tomorrow – as nurses and midwives rally at the QEH.
The state government is yet to strike a pay deal for workers earning $58,000 to $61,000 a year, as the United Workers Union (UWU) rejected the latest offer, saying it wouldn’t result in a meaningful pay rise until July 2026.
Workers would now rally at the Premier’s office on Tuesday to demand a pay rise sooner. Nurses and midwives – also in the midst of wage negotiations – are planning another rally at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital today.
The government recently gave doctors a 13 per cent pay rise over three years and the allied health workers’ union won 13.5 per cent over four years.
InDaily understands UWU members – who range from hospital cleaners, transport staff and disability support officers – would welcome the proposed boost of about $4000 to their salaries if it started sooner.
Under the current offer the workers would receive a four per cent first-year wage increase in a two-year deal, which the union said doesn’t provide meaningful cost-of-living relief.
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“Our members have been unable to accept the offer because it leaves them no better off in the first year than the very first offer they received all those months ago,” UWU SA State Secretary Demi Pnevmatikos said.
This is not the first action taken during the months-long negotiations, and follows a rally outside Treasurer Stephen Mulligan’s office in August, and a strike at Flinders Medical Centre in May.
The union is also seeking a 200 per cent pay rise to Sunday penalty rates, and while the current offer from the state government is a 175 per cent rise, it is not proposed to be paid until July 2026.
“While bean counters may have their own reasons to move the bulk of the pay rise into the second year, it shows no understanding of what life is like for a Patient Services Assistant living on $60,000 a year in Adelaide,” Pnevmatikos said.
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“Our members are the lowest-paid workers in the public sector and the lowest-paid workers doing these jobs in the country.
“Pay for these workers needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.”
UWU members will rally outside Malinauskas’ Croydon electorate office on Tuesday, urging him to step in.
“Our members appreciate the Premier personally intervening in this issue and bringing forward a revised pay offer,” Pnevmatikos said.
“You can’t expect to attract and retain the workers you need to do the vital jobs in disability support, patient care and keeping the health, disability support and aged care systems running when you pay workers so poorly.
“And the Premier can’t fix ramping and other issues without fixing the pay gap that’s driving workers out of hospitals, aged care, and early education.”
A government spokesperson told InDaily the government continues to negotiate with the union in good faith.
“The government remains committed to good faith negotiations with the United Workers Union to achieve a new enterprise agreement for weekly paid workers in the South Australian public sector,” the spokesperson said.
“In its latest offer the Government has recognised the cost of living challenges faced by these workers and has put forward a proposal which would see real wages increases above the current rate of inflation, as well as significant additional increases for aged care, disability care, and early childhood education workers to match their pay rates under relevant Federal awards.”
The state government is continuing negotiations with the United Workers Union and the Union for Nurses and Midwives, who also took stop-work action at the Royal Adelaide Hospital last week.
