The New South Wales (NSW) government proposed to freeze pay rises for all public service workers as a way of confronting the spike in unemployment. The decision was rejected by crossbench Members of Parliament (MP) and drew criticism from opposition MPs and unions.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejilklian made the announcement last week, initially only targeting ministers. On May 27, the policy was extended to all public sector workers, including teachers, nurses, and police officers—410,000 people in total.
