Formed in 1899, the PSA is the major union for the state's public sector.

Along with its sister union, the CPSU NSW, the PSA represents a wide variety of employees, from school staff to correctives officers, disability support workers and national park rangers.

"By standing up for members' jobs, the PSA and CPSU NSW are protecting the services the people of the Illawarra region need," the union's general secretary, Stewart Little said. "And the pay packets our members take home play a vital role in the South Coast economy.

"The work PSA and CPSU NSW members do enrich the lives of every person on the South Coast.

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"Staff in schools, TAFE colleges and the University of Wollongong are creating an educated, highly skilled workforce for the future.

"Whether it is getting a driver's licence, going to the zoo, applying for a birth certificate or registering your land title, there is a good chance you are dealing with our members.

"Staff in our prisons and in police stations are keeping us safe, while our members in disability services are caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

"The South Coast's environment is enriched thanks to the work done by PSA members in National Parks, Fisheries and the Environmental Protection Authority."

The public sector in Illawarra has taken a battering under the O'Farrell, Baird and Berejiklian governments.

Disability services and the Pillar Superannuation office have been sold off, while TAFE funding has been cut.

"However, our members in these areas continue to serve the people of the Illawarra region, sometimes in quite trying circumstances," Mr Little said. "And we will be proud to keep representing them for another 120 years."