General News
13 September, 2024
Local officers take action
Over worked, under valued, but always there — that’s the slogan covering the Maryborough Police Station as officers across the state resume their fight for higher wages.
Nearly 18,000 police and protective services officers (PSOs) recommenced their industrial action to secure a better pay deal — hoping to put an “end to wage theft”.
The action follows failure to resolve a long-running pay dispute between union members and Victoria Police.
The Police Association Victoria (TPAV) is pushing for a 24 percent pay rise over the next four years, as well as the implementation of 8.5 hour shifts to address any unpaid work undertaken.
As part of the action, police have written slogans on their vehicles, put up posters at the stations and are also alerting drivers to speed cameras.
TPAV secretary Wayne Gatt said police should be able to focus on their job, not on fighting for “their wages and fair conditions”.
“Morale is hopeless in policing. I’ve rarely seen worse, to be quite honest,” he said.
“Our members have seen other workers receiving higher pay rises and they feel that the nature and importance of their work to the community should be held in the same regard and attract the same rewards.”
According to the police association, with officers working “thousands of unpaid overtime shifts which are burning them out” the stations are “threadbare” — leading to community safety being put at “risk”.
Police’s latest industrial action follows action taken by paramedics and nurses across the state.
In a recent update, the Victorian Ambulance Union said while there has been progress, the government is “still procrastinating on finalising an enterprise agreement with Victorian paramedics and ambulance workers”.
The delay could be met with a third protected action by the union.