SES staff will snub minister over pay

SES staff have said they will refuse to attend any events that include Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan. In addition to that refusal, they are authorised by the industrial umpire to take about 40 indefinite work bans as part of their industrial action.

SES staff say negotiations have failed after more than a year because they are paid less than counterparts in other emergency services and receive poorer conditions. They point to lower pay, less leave, inferior superannuation and fewer rest days while working at incidents compared with other emergency service workers.

The article notes a senior operations officer with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) is paid about $117,000 a year, while an equivalent SES worker gets close to $85,000, illustrating a substantial pay gap between SES staff and some other emergency service roles.

The government has offered SES workers a 3% per year pay rise for three years, but SES staff say this offer is not enough to address their pay and conditions concerns.

SES staff point to several non-pay issues: they claim they receive less leave than other emergency service workers, have poorer superannuation benefits, and get fewer rest days while working at incidents.

A leaked memo released by Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews reportedly shows the SES faces a $4.2 million funding cut over the next four years, a detail that has formed part of the backdrop to the dispute.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) is representing SES staff, and CPSU state secretary Karen Batt said, 'if the minister seeks to have some sort of kudos by standing next to SES staff, they're not prepared to do that any more,' explaining why staff will not appear alongside the minister.

A spokeswoman for Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan said the government was disappointed by the SES staff decision, according to the article.