A proposed state government freeze on public servant pay rises for the next 12 months has raised the ire of a group of Blue Mountains nurses.
Springwood Hospital Branch secretary Rosamunde Kadi said a group of nurses gathered on May 28 to express concerns about the proposal to freeze a wage rise of nurses by 2.5 per cent in July for the next year.
"Staff of Springwood Hospital are supporting their nurses during this difficult time of COVID-19," Ms Kadi said.
"We have given the public already good service being on the frontline in the last few months. We are proud of our role in our community."
Ms Kadi said nurses "understand the financial predicament the government is facing. However the role of the nurse is important and should be valued particularly under the current circumstances".
The group is writing to the Premier about their concerns.
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle said nurses and midwives were the backbone of the health system and in more danger than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They work long hours in an increasingly complex environment. Rather than honoring the very modest 2.5 per cent annual pay increase the government has moved to freeze the pay at its current rate. This is at a time when we are asking more of our nurses than ever before."
Mayor Mark Greenhill supports the campaign and said he has "watched state public servants of all descriptions holding out community together through the fires and the pandemic, in fact, they do it all the time".
"This wage freeze is really a wage cut because of inflation.Our public servants deserve to be celebrated.Not treated like this. Like my friend Trish Doyle MP, I stand with our public sector workers and thank them for always being there for our community."
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said the plan is to temporarily save about $3 billion and create jobs. Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force data in April showed more than 220,000 people in NSW lost their jobs.