By TOM HAYES
MORE than 20 officers from the Traralgon Police Station and The Police Association of Victoria (TPAV) walked off the job last Wednesday (December 11), amid ongoing wage negotiations.
Administered by TPAV, staged with a banner reading ‘BREAKING POINT’, officers spent 30 minutes off the job from 9am until 9.30am as part of their Protected Industrial Action (PIA).
Last month, officers from across Victoria began walking off the job for the first time in 25 years.
Despite being ‘off the job’, media was reminded that if police were required to attend to the public urgently, they would have returned to work.
Representing the 17,000 members on the Victorian Police force, speaking outside the Traralgon Police Station was TPAV president, Sergeant Karl David.
“It’s a disgrace. Pushing this matter to the Fair Work Commission is hiding from the issue,” Sergeant David said.
“Tim Pallas (who announced his resignation as state treasurer on Monday, December 16) said in an interview recently, that if he was told by the Fair Work Commission to pay a certain amount of pay rise to the police, then he would find the money to do it. We say to Tim Pallas, why wait for the Fair Work Commission? Pay us now.
“Shane Patton (Victoria Police Chief Commissioner) says that in respect to unpaid work, that it was an expectation by being a police officer that you would support the community, and there would be an expectation to do a little bit of unpaid work. He called it good will. I’m saying to the chief commissioner, it’s not good will, it’s against our will.”
Sergeant David complained that IT systems that are currently in place are creating more work, making “a four-hour job an eight-hour job”.
“Working for Victoria Police is like skydiving with a parachute from Temu. The problem is that this employer wants us to do an extra couple of jumps in our own time, it’s unacceptable,” Sergeant David said.
Sergeant David added comparisons to the recent New South Wales Police pay dispute, saying that the NSW government and commissioner have respect for its police force.
In November, it was confirmed that NSW police won pay rises of up to 40 per cent in the biggest wage increase in 30 years. The Guardian reported that “senior constables and sergeants will receive increases of at least 25 per cent before shift allowances”.
“Shane Patton could fix this today,” Sergeant David reiterated.
“Our members demand a fair pay rise, better conditions, including an end to unpaid work, and above all – respect.”
Sergeant David once again outlined the conditions of the PIA, and the actions that Victorian police officers can perform.
The first action includes not starting work 30 minutes to an hour earlier than their paid hours, in order to kit up for their shift.
“Back in those days when I started, you just put on a pair of pants and a shirt, you’d put on a pancake holster and walk out the door. It’s different today, now there is 20 kilograms of equipment, we wear firearms, we wear video recording equipment, we carry tasers, we have a ballistic vest – all of this stuff needs to be integrated, signed out, downloaded – it takes time. The job has changed,” Sergeant David said.
Other actions as part of the PIA include the likes of refusal to respond to emails or phone calls outside of working hours, bans on performing voluntary duties, bargaining negotiations written on police vehicles, and an interruption to work to attend location of fixed speed or red light cameras.
Victorian police officers are also encouraged to speak to media including newspapers and radio stations about their experiences under the PIA, which they are able to do for the first time.
Senior Constable Kyle Arestia said that the force remains hopeful that a decision can be made by the Fair Work Commission by Christmas, as promised, after Mr Patton’s application was to move negotiations to “intractable bargaining”.
“We remain hopeful that they will order a further period of negotiation,” he said.
If the Fair Work Commission rejects the request, negotiations could last for an unknown period of time.
“TPAV have never found themselves in this position before of a long, drawn out EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement),” Senior Constable Arestia said.
Although Senior Constable Arestia wasn’t present at the TPAV Stop Work event at the Traralgon Police Station last week, he believes it sends a strong message to the state government.
“Victoria Police members are stopping work for short periods of time and gathering out the front of their stations to show a clear message to the government that we are fed up, burnt out, and serious about negotiating an impactful agreement that can save the future of Victoria Police,” he said.
“With the current climate of policing post-COVID-19 and the soaring crime rates, this EBA is set to be the most important in the history of Victoria Police. It scares me to think what Victoria Police could look like in the next five years if we don’t get this right now.
“Victoria Police members are currently leaving the job at rates faster than we can recruit new members.
“With public perception of police officers shifting and work loads increasing, I foresee the problem worsening at an exponential rate over the coming years.”
It must be remembered that police officers are human too.
“As the weeks and months tick by though, it’s only natural that some of us lose focus on the end goal.
“With NSW police recently negotiating a great deal, I think there would be many of my colleagues seriously considering making a move to an interstate force that treats their members better.”
At the Traralgon Police Station Stop Work event were local Nationals members Martin Cameron (Morwell) and Melina Bath (Eastern Victoria), who showed their support.
The Nationals condemned Premier Jacinta Allen for her failure to reach a fair deal that address overtime and excessive workloads. Mr Cameron said the state government had let down the police force, leaving officers feeling undervalued at a time when their service has never been more critical.
“Each day they go to work knowing they have to perform a significant amount of unpaid work to help keep our community safe – it’s a blight on the government’s record that there is well over 1000 job vacancies and 700 officers out on sick leave state-wide,” Mr Cameron said.
Ms Bath said that police members want to be tackling crime, not locked in an arm wrestle with the Premier.
“Our police put their lives on the line to help keep us safe – it’s outrageous that the Allan Labor government will not sit down and sort out this mess,” Ms Bath said.
Last week, the Herald Sun reported that Victoria Police is facing court action from its members’ union, who claim they’ve missed out of hundreds of millions of dollars in overtime pay, adding to the pay dispute crisis.
TPAV reportedly launched proceedings in the Federal Court, demanding that Victoria Police pay six years’ worth of unpaid wages for officers.
TPAV says that thousands of officers miss out on five overtime hours per week before and after a shift – equal to nearly six weeks’ pay over a year.
Liberal Member for Berwick, Brad Battin called out the state government, saying PIA by Victoria Police could have been avoided if the state government had shown respect.
“The decision by Premier Jacinta Allen and her colleagues to walk away from the negotiating table, and for Treasurer Tim Pallas to say he will find the money to pay the police if forced by Fair Work Australia highlights the contempt Labor has for our thin blue line,” he said in a statement.
“Today (December 12), the Premier and her Police Minister must actively engage with the Police Association to resolve this ongoing dispute with the frontline.
“Premier Jacinta Allen can fix this today by doing the right thing and returning to the table.”
The state government stood its ground in a response to the comments made.
“Victoria Police officers play a critical role in protecting the community and saving lives, and we are grateful for their vital service,” a state government spokesperson said.
“We have delivered a record $4.5 billion for Victoria Police to ensure they have the resources they need to keep Victorians safe.
“After a protracted period, Victoria Police sought the assistance of the Fair Work Commission in progressing bargaining.
“Any planned Protected Industrial Action is a matter for The Police Association of Victoria, and we welcome the assurance that any action would not affect community safety.”
