THE state government is under pressure to break its wages cap to avoid a fierce dispute with the state's biggest unions in the lead-up to the March election.
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The unions representing 10,000 public servants yesterday told the government that continuing to limit wage increases to 2 per cent would be ``unacceptable''.
The public service agreement is just one of 15 up for renegotiation before the election, with teachers, police officers and firefighters among those preparing to challenge the wages cap.
Community and Public Sector Union secretary Tom Lynch would not put a figure to a pay increase demand, but indicated it would be at least 3 per cent.
``Public servants have worn the 2 per cent for the last two years,'' Mr Lynch said.
``In real terms, public service wages have been going backwards, so they need a decent increase.''
Mr Lynch said negotiating with the government less than nine months from a state election was a ``two-edged sword''.
While the government would be reluctant to take on angry unions so close to the polls, the unions do not want the issue to remain unresolved and to face starting from scratch with a new government.
When Premier Lara Giddings announced the cap two years ago, it was expected to save the government $135.6 million over four years on the $2 billion wages bill.
Yesterday Ms Giddings would not say if there was room to move this time.
``We have a state wages policy that's very clear, it's in the budget, it's there, but I can assure you that there is far more to that log of claims than just around wage growth itself,'' she said.
``I won't be negotiating through the media.''
The high number of expired agreements has been caused partly by workers opting for shorter two-year agreements in 2011 at the height of the state's dramatic budget cuts, rather than the normal three-year period.
However, Ms Giddings denied that the number of new agreements due for renegotiation was unusual.
``It's just normal government business,'' she said.
Mr Lynch said wage increases could be balanced by productivity gains that the workforce had identified.
He believed it was possible to finalise a new agreement within three months.
The unions are also demanding that the threat of forced redundancies be removed from legislation.
``We need to get job security and we need to get decent wage outcomes,'' Mr Lynch said.
