Premier Mark McGowan is refusing to bow to pressure from the WA Police union despite a poll finding that more than half of voters support a pay rise.
A union-commissioned ReachTel poll of 3000 voters, published in The West Australian, found 56 per cent believed the one-off $1000 pay increase was unfair and the government should return to its original 1.5 per cent wage deal.
Union president George Tillbury said it proved the public were unimpressed the McGowan government had broken an election promise of a 1.5 per cent pay increase.
When it won the election and took government, that was changed to a $1000 flat increase, which 88 per cent of union members rejected.
The cash-strapped government is offering the $1000 rate for all public sector employees, saying it has inherited a record budget deficit and debt from the Barnett government that must be repaired.
The police union says the government must honour the original 1.5 per cent figure.
The union has warned it will launch a third phase of industrial action on top of measures already taken such as issuing cautions rather than fines for minor offences, hitting the hip pocket of the government.
It claims 1000 police officers will rally on the steps of parliament on Tuesday.
Mr McGowan said WA's financial woes left the government no choice but to renege on the deal.
"We can't conjure money out of the air - we've lost $5.4 billion since February," Mr McGowan said.
"If we were to offer more, our wages policy would collapse, therefore we're not going to."
A poll asking if the public supported getting state finances under control would score 100 per cent, Mr McGowan said.
The WA Liberals would raise the issue when parliament meets on Tuesday, said Opposition Leader Mike Nahan, who promised to back the unions.
"If you make an offer during bargaining you have to stick by it," he said.
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