On the eve of the state Budget, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) joined with other public sector workers to call on the Berejiklian Government to value and invest in them.

Earlier this month, more than 410,000 public sector workers including nurses and midwives were told to expect a 1.5% wage cap in the upcoming Budget.

The Berejiklian Government hopes to save an extra $1.8 billion under the wage cap, on top of $3 billion already taken from public sector workers’ wages after a 0.3% wage freeze was confirmed in October.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the Berejiklian Government must respect its essential workforce and invest in the people that keep NSW moving.

“The 1.5% cap on wages growth is the opposite of what the NSW economy needs to recover successfully, post the pandemic,” said Mr Holmes.

Members of the NSWNMA are devastated their efforts and professional work ethic to deliver safe patient care in public hospitals has been ignored, particularly during COVID-19.

NSWNMA members gathered outside Parliament House, as well as multiple State MP electorate offices, to send a message to the Berejiklian Government that nurses and midwives must be valued.