NSW sheriffs are halting work in protest over pay and staffing.

Sheriffs across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Southern Tablelands regions, along with parts of southern and southwest Sydney, will engage in a two-hour stop-work action starting at 8:30 am. 

The protest is to raise concerns over inadequate staffing levels and insufficient pay.

The stop-work action will disrupt operations at 18 courthouses within the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and adjacent districts, as well as courthouses in Campbelltown, Camden, Picton, Sutherland, and Kogarah in Sydney will also be affected.

The Public Service Association (PSA) has voiced the grievances of the sheriffs. 

General Secretary Stewart Little highlighted the prolonged period during which sheriffs have been raising these issues without any resolution from the authorities. 

“Sheriffs have tried to play by the rules, but they were ignored for more than two years,” Little told reporters. 

“In mid 2022 there was an agency restructure and the senior leadership of the Office of the Sheriff got a significant pay bump. In 2023 there was a review of sheriffs’ pay but the report was never released under ‘cabinet in confidence’.”

The sheriffs’ role is considered high-risk and stressful, requiring significant training. When enforcing court orders, sheriffs enter properties equipped with stab-proof vests, capsicum spray, batons, and handcuffs.

“Sheriffs need a solid pay bump to reflect the dangerous work they do,” Little said. 

“Sheriffs put their lives on the line in courthouses to make sure judges, lawyers and members of the public are safe from crooks and criminals, yet they are paid the same as people with desk jobs and administration roles at the courthouse; it’s just not on.”