Campaspe PSA officers walked off the job for 30 minutes to protest lengthy pay negotiations.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
Officers at Echuca Police station staged a walk out on Tuesday, January 21 in protest at stalled pay-rise talks with the Victorian Government.
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Around 25 Campaspe PSA officers stopped work at 2pm for 30 minutes, although officers could be seen responding to urgent calls in that time.
During the walk-out, officers said that 18 months of pay-rise negotiations had continued for too long, and that they felt undervalued by the government.
Leading Senior Constable Barry McLeod addressed the protesters, summarising their frustrations.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
Leading Senior Constable Barry McLeod read a statement, condemning Victoria Police command and the government for their handling of the negotiations.
In particular, he condemned their failure to engage with union representatives directly, and the attempt to outsource negotiations to the Fair Work Commission.
Pictured are Kyabram Sergeant Adrian Staudt, Echuca Acting Sergeant Blair Crandell, Echuca Senior Constable Vivienne Collins, Kyabram Leading Senior Constable Barry McLeod and Echuca Constable Elise Scacco.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
“Our members demand a fair pay rise, better conditions, including an end to unpaid work, but above all, respect,” he said.
Sergeant Adrian Staudt said the job took a toll on members’ physical and mental health.
“There’s plenty of times that there’s trauma and horrific things that we have to go and watch or deal with,” Sgt Staudt said.
“We don’t get recognition for that. It’s just treated as if it’s normal.”
Officers are expected to complete paperwork outside working hours when necessary, and to be in or out of uniform at either end of their paid shift, Sgt Staudt said.
“That means, essentially, 15 to 30 minutes before and after every shift we are not getting paid. That adds up,” he said.
Time off is also impacted by the role, with officers’ families affected by round-the-clock shifts, Sgt Staudt said.
“It falls to our partners and better halves to raise our families, and then we chip in when we can,” he said.
“It becomes frustrating when that’s not valued.”
Leading Sen Constable McLeod said officers understood the role would be challenging when they were recruited, but that he and Sgt Staudt joined to help their community.
“We didn’t join for money. We joined for helping to be part of the solution to the problems we face and have seen growing up,” Sgt Staudt said.
Negotiations are ongoing, and Leading Sen Constable McLeod said he hoped to see them finalised quickly.
“People are frustrated. We want to move on, and we’re asking the government to get it resolved as soon as possible,” he said.
Industrial action will continue in the meantime, which Leading Sen Constable McLeod said would not compromise public safety.
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