Union strikes won't sway WA govt on pay

West Australian treasurer Ben Wyatt says he does not want to see unions strike over pay and insists it will not get them anywhere.

Western Australian Treasurer Ben Wyatt

WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt is unmoved by threat of strike over wage increase cap for public servants. (AAP)

The threat of strike action by unions demanding the West Australian government lift its wage increase cap for public servants is not swaying the state's treasurer.

The $1000 per year cap was announced in 2017 and the government is sticking to the four-year plan despite mounting pressure from unions.

Both Premier Mark McGowan and Treasurer Ben Wyatt have urged them not to strike after the state budget revealed an earlier than expected surplus of $553 million and even larger surpluses over the next four years.

"I don't want to see industrial action," Mr Wyatt told reporters on Friday.

"We're committed to our wages policy, but I say to the unions, there's an opportunity. We're a government that is keen to reform other areas."

Mr Wyatt said the government's biggest spend remained wages.

"If we move from that wages policy, it doesn't take much before we're back into a deficit position and debt is increasing again," he said.

"Our surpluses are there but they are fragile. It won't take much to have them driven back to a deficit position, so we do need to keep the focus on financial control."

The treasurer is also standing firm on the decision to increase the electricity price at the forecast rate of inflation of 1.75 per cent.

After a decade of sharp hikes, the opposition had called for no increase, saying households had been feeling the pinch.

Mr Wyatt indicated he does not expect significant rises over the next few years.

"We're now in a position where we expect it's no longer necessary to have dramatic increases in power bills," he told a business event.

"That could come if you make the decision to freeze power bills and at some point of course you have to catch up."


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Source: AAP



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