ACTU’s Sally McManus calls on NSW to back paid virus leave

Unions are pressuring the NSW government to learn from Victoria’s second outbreak and provide paid pandemic leave to workers to be tested or isolate.

ACTU leader Sally McManus before speaking at the Labor conference Towards 2020 - Ideas for Labor and Australia. Picture: Jane Dempster

Unions are pressuring the NSW government to support paid pandemic leave, saying the state must learn from Victoria’s second outbreak and provide financial support for workers to be tested or isolate.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus said on Sunday the NSW government needed to take action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by making sure all workers had access to sick leave during the pandemic.

“NSW has to learn from the second wave in Victoria and provide paid pandemic leave now, so all workers can take time off to get tested or isolate, keep themselves safe and protect the community,” she said. “Workplace transmission caused by insecure work forcing people to work while sick has led to hundreds of cases in Victoria; now is the time to act to prevent this in NSW.”

The NSW government, which unlike Victoria has not provided any funding for paid pandemic leave, refused to address the ACTU call when asked for comment on Sunday.

A spokesman for NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet instead provided a statement about how the government had committed more than $15bn in COVID-19 response and support measures, including economic assistance packages and grants.

Scott Morrison has said the commonwealth was prepared to extend a $1500 COVID-19 disaster payment to other states and territories beyond Victoria if they wanted to mirror the funding deal struck with the Andrews government.

The Prime Minister and Attorney-General Christian Porter said the federal government was open to extending the joint ­arrangement, which provides a $1500 payment to Victorians forced to isolate for 14 days.