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"Heroes one day, pay freeze the next..."
These were the messages from frustrated Southern Highlands nurses as they rallied against a planned wage freeze for the NSW public sector, which includes nurses.
Several of the region's nurses gathered at Glebe Park, Bowral, across the road from Bowral and District Hospital in the early hours of June 2 to protest the plan announced last week by NSW premier Gladys Berijiklian.
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In a show of solidarity they wore face masks with the words "no freeze" written across them.
The nurses who rallied in the park indicated concern about a proposed one-off $1000 bonus more recently announced by the Berijiklian Government.
They were also concerned about the wage freeze plan becoming "one of several potential broken promises."
"At the last election the Berijiklian government promised an additional 5000 nursing staff, now they want to freeze our wages," one nurse said.
"We are worried that the $1000 payment could lead to a wage freeze for up to three years," was the response from another nurse at the morning protest.
Meanwhile, nurse and union member Frances Honan described the $1000 proposed one-off payment as "adding insult to injury."
"We have an agreement in place for a 2.5 per cent pay rise each year in July," she said.
"If they stop this, where will it end?"
NSW nurses and other public sector workers are now waiting news of a decision on the planned wage freeze expected to be considered in state parliament this week.
