Police march on Rees office over pay

POLICE have marched on the western Sydney electorate office of Premier Nathan Rees, angry at a government proposal to remove protections for injured officers.

Between 20 and 30 officers walked into the premier's Seven Hills office on Wednesday morning, delivering letters from western Sydney police and calling for a meeting with Mr Rees.

Police want double the 2.5 per cent wage rise offered by the NSW government, but reject a proposed trade-off that would see them lose a number of entitlements.

The government wants police to sacrifice sick leave and death and disability allowances to fund a larger pay rise of four per cent.

NSW Police Association president Bob Pritchard said the officers at Wednesday's protest all worked within Mr Rees' Toongabbie electorate.

"We attended the office to seek an appointment with the premier to show their anger at proposals to take protections when they're injured," Mr Pritchard said.

"We delivered a number of letters from several of the western suburbs police stations asking for meetings and showing their disgust at what the government is trying to do."

Wednesday's protest is the latest salvo in the long-running pay dispute, which at the beginning of July saw police refusing to issue traffic fines for a week.

The association says the removal of protections for injured workers would financially cripple officers hurt on the job.

Under the current award, police injured on the job receive full pay until they return to work or exit the force.

If the government proposal is adopted, injured police would be on full pay for only 26 weeks.

"They're saying if you're still injured after 26 weeks and haven't come back to work, your (pay) is reduced by almost two-thirds," Mr Pritchard said.

"Police are the same as everyone else, they've got mortgages and they can't afford to do that.

"They're only doing their job, which is a dangerous job, and getting injured."