Nurses and midwives rallied outside Shoalhaven District Hospital on Tuesday to protest the NSW Government's proposed public sector wage freeze which includes healthcare workers.
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The freeze was announced by Gladys Berejiklian in late May and is expected to save around $3 billion which will be reinvested into public projects.
Shoalhaven Nurses and Midwives Association delegate Annette Alldrick said the proposal was a slap in the face from the government.
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"It's very upsetting and we just want to let people know that we don't agree with it," she said.
"A lot of our nurses and midwives have worked around the clock during the bushfires early this year and then a lot of them looked after COVID-19 patients."
On Monday the NSW Treasurer put forward the offer of a $1000 bonus for frontline public sector workers to compensate for the wage freeze.
Nurses and Midwives Association Shoalhaven Hospital branch Secretary Melissa Henderson said the offer wasn't even a Band-aid solution.
"It doesn't even cover the shortfall for 12 months," Ms Henderson said.
"Over my career it'll probably cost me about $50,000, it'll compromise what goes into my super.
"It's not just a 12-month hiccup, it has lasting consequences."
Delegate Annette Alldrick said the impacts of the wage freeze go beyond public sector workers.
"If you take all this money out of our local community, that's less money that we have to spend in our local businesses that we're trying to get back on the ground," she said.
The union has sent an open letter to Gareth Ward and Shelley Hancock with 150 signatures asking to meet with them.