The Western Australia government has been forced to again lift its public sector pay offer after health workers threatened further industrial action.
Workers who earn less than $104,000 would receive an additional $3120 in each of the next two years, as well as an immediate $3000 bonus payment.
The offer represents an increase of between three and six per cent for those workers.
Public sector workers on more than $104,000 would also receive the bonus in addition to a three per cent increase across each year.
Unions WA secretary Owen Whittle said the improved offer is welcome but the process that led to it was "severely flawed".
"Workers in schools, hospitals, transport, child protection, health, and emergency services have taken a stand for themselves and the services they deliver," he said on Wednesday.
"The government has been forced to listen."
WA's Labor government had initially offered a 2.75 per cent increase but in July raised the offer to three, along with an additional $2500 sign-on bonus.
That offer was rejected this week by the Health Services Union and United Workers Union, who form part of a public sector alliance which has sought a five per cent increase to combat rising inflation and cost of living pressures.
Thousands of public sector workers rallied outside parliament last month in an escalation of the stand-off.
Health Services Union WA secretary Naomi McCrae this week accused the government, which delivered a $5.7 billion surplus this year, of being fixated on the budget bottom line.
She said the previous offer failed to address staff retention or job insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's just a huge level of fatigue, a huge level of disengagement as people feel like there's no light at the end of the tunnel," she said.
"The government has underestimated quite how angry people are."
Ms McCrae noted the government, which has struggled to staff hospitals, had recently added a further 46 health occupations to the skilled migration list.
"We've put forward a number of ways they could improve conditions that would retain the workforce," she said.
"Our membership is across a whole range of really important and specialised positions ... they don't have a pipeline for these people except for going overseas."
Mr Whittle said unions were fighting for a return to genuine public sector bargaining and this could not be achieved with an "arbitrary and binding" wages policy.
"At this point, the improved offer is just a policy. The real conversation starts when the government makes written offers to their workforce," he said.
Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston has been contacted for comment.
