Public Service Association members rally in Newcastle to demand better pay for workers who braved the COVID-19 frontline

The Public Service Association - the union that represents public sector employees including prison officers, Service NSW staff and a range of others - wants the government to grant a 5.2 per cent wage rise in line with inflation.

A 24-hour strike and rallies took place across the state on Wednesday.

It came after the government on Monday announced a three per cent pay increase next financial year and a possible 3.5 per cent rise in 2023-24 for public sector employees, as well as a one-off $3000 payment to NSW Health workers in recognition of their service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union delegate for the sheriff's office in Newcastle Paul O'Shea told the Herald at Civic Park on Wednesday his colleagues went "above and beyond the call of duty" every day.

"We're very much frontline workers," he said.

"We triage hundreds of people through our building every morning, doing health checks, assessing the safety of the building to protect key staff ... and allow the justice system to work as effectively as it can."

PSA Newcastle regional organiser Ian Braithwaite said the three per cent pay offer was "totally unacceptable".

"We're not actually asking for a pay rise, we're asking for the government to keep our pay in line with inflation," he said.

"People have had enough. They like to do their job ... they think they've done the right thing through the pandemic, through the bushfires, through the floods - every time something goes down, the public sector is there to keep everything running."

Mr Braithwaite said that while health workers deserved the bonus payment, it was a "slap in the face" that it was not extended to others on the front line - creating a feeling that those not earmarked for the $3000 boost were "second class citizens".

"They [NSW Health workers] were there every day, but we were there every day," he said.

"We got out of bed, we went to work, we didn't know what we were going to take home, we didn't know what the ramifications were if we give our parents or our grandparents COVID ... but we still got up, we still went to work."

During Monday's announcement, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the wage rise was fair and sustainable in this economic climate, describing it as "an affordable and sensible policy".

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