ACT public servants in the ACT have had enough. That message could not have been clearer last Friday on May Day, when more than 700 union members rallied outside the Legislative Assembly.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Login or signup to continue reading

Health professionals, policy officers, hospice workers, child protection workers, Access Canberra staff, correctional officers and many more came together with one voice to say that being asked to go backwards is not acceptable.

ACT government public servants are not asking for special treatment. They are not asking for bonuses or perks.

They are simply asking for a pay rise that keeps up with the cost of living. Right now, the government is offering 3 per cent a year over three years. At the same time, CPI is running at 4.6 per cent. That means the government is planning to lock in a real wage cut for the workers who deliver the services Canberrans rely on every day.

This is happening in the middle of a brutal cost-of-living crisis. Rents continue to rise. Interest rates are biting. The cost of groceries, and utilities is climbing week after week. All this, plus a fuel crisis making it more expensive for Canberrans to get from A to B.

Public servants feel this pressure just like everyone else. They still have to put food on the table, pay the rent or mortgage, cover childcare costs and keep their families afloat. Like others in the community, it is becoming harder to make ends meet.

These are not abstract roles. These are the people who keep Canberra running.

They answer calls at Access Canberra when you need help navigating government systems.

They push you to get scans, take those scans and then care for you through diagnosis and rehabilitation in our public hospitals.

They support some of the territory's most vulnerable young people at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. They work as dental assistants in public........

© Canberra Times