Public servants knock back NT Government pay offer

Minister for Public Service, Jo Hersey said she is disappointed public servants have rejected the NT Government’s latest pay offer and signalled the government will now consider making an application to the Fair Work Commission.

Minister Jo Hersey said she is disappointed public servants have rejected the NT Government’s latest pay offer . Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Minister for Public Service, Jo Hersey said she is disappointed public servants have rejected the NT Government’s latest pay offer and signalled the government will now consider making an application to the Fair Work Commission.

The CPSU welcomed the ballot outcome and urged the government return to the bargaining table as soon as possible to begin negotiations on a better deal for staff.

NT secretary David Villegas urged government to to put away the “unprecedented threats” to go to the Fair Work Commission following the No vote.

Offered a yearly three per cent pay increase, the vote was 4,972 No and 2,983 Yes.

The government and public sector workers have been locked in negotiations to replace the current Northern Territory (NT) Public Sector 2021-2025 Enterprise Agreement.

The current agreement expired in August 2025 and the ballot for the proposed 2025-2029 agreement opened on September 12 and closed today.

Commissioner for Public Employment Nicole Hurwood said she will now consider the next steps.

She gave a reminder to employees that bargaining is subject to the Wages Policy and the constraints of the current budget parameters.

Minister Hersey acknowledged the outcome of the vote.

“I am disappointed the generous offer was voted down at a time when other Territorians are doing it tough with cost-of-living pressures,” Minister Hersey said.

“The 3 per cent per year pay rise is well above the Darwin CPI for the year to June 2025 (1.6 per cent).

“We are now considering adjusting the Government wages policy to reflect the consistently low Darwin CPI figures.

“The Government will now consider making an application to the Fair Work Commission.”

Commissioner Hurwood said she believed conducting a ballot for the new agreement was the right approach and allowed employees to have their say on the proposed improvements to terms and conditions of employment and the offer of 12.55 per cent pay increase over the term of the agreement.

CPSU NT Secretary David Villegas said a clear majority of NT public sector workers have spoken, and the NT government needs to listen to them and make a better offer.

“For the past 12 months NTPS staff have made it clear that they need a new agreement that protects their jobs security, provides a fair pay rise, and delivers modern workplace flexibility arrangements,” he said.

“This offer failed on all three counts and that’s why workers have rejected it.”

Unions argue that if the government fails to deliver a decent enterprise agreement for its staff, it will struggle to attract employees to the NT and continue to lose staff to other jurisdictions in other states.

“The Government now has another opportunity to make positive changes that will help attract and retain the quality workers to the NT,” said Mr Villegas.

“Members have reached out to us to express concern about the way the government has behaved.

“We politely suggest that a better way forward for the government would be to put away these unprecedented threats, sit down with the unions and negotiate a fair agreement that show a bit of respect for a workforce that shows up every day to serve Territorians.”

Labor Opposition Public Service spokesman Chansey Paech said the vote is a resounding rejection of Minister Hersey’s handling of the process.