PAUL HUNT
Secretary WA Police Union
No loss of any current conditions a good outcome AS MEMBERS ARE WELL AWARE, the replacement of the industrial agreement has been a two-year process to negotiate and was ultimately resolved by partial arbitration.
When we say “no loss of any current conditions” is a good outcome it is just that considering attempts by the employer to reduce those current conditions.
18 POLICE NEWS MARCH 2021
The Senior Commissioner handed down his decision on February 26, 2021, granting an additional two days leave for all police officers. While the long process has been frustrating, it is disappointing that some Members see the new leave and range of increases to current conditions as a “loss”. No doubt the outcome of arbitration could have been better, and it has taken considerable argument to overcome the WA Police Force and Government’s view that police officers don’t deserve more leave at all. When the membership rejected the Fifth and Final Offer, all of the conditions were taken off the table. Through continued negotiation all items, except for the additional leave, were agreed to be included in a new agreement, with of course, the additional leave the only issue for arbitration. There was some controversy over the 65 per cent threshold for the ballot, which is a parameter that is prescribed in the WAPU Constitution and has been in place for more than 20 years. A motion was debated and defeated at the 2020 Annual Conference that would have seen the 65 per cent reduced to 51 per cent. We have previously reported on the obstacles that lead to such a long delay and the attempts by the employer during drafting to dilute current conditions, reducing some of the new conditions from what had been agreed in negotiations. When we say “no loss of any current conditions” is a good outcome it is just that considering attempts by the employer to reduce those current conditions. The new agreement has been registered with effect from March 10, 2021 and is due to be replaced by June 30, 2021. Included in the replacement agreement are the improvements that came from the fifth and final offer, these include:
• Country Deployment Allowance is expanded to all officers for relieving and operational deployment into/within Regional WA. This removes the restriction that prevented regional-based officers from accessing the allowance when reliving or deployed to other regional locations. • The Civilian and Pregnancy Clothing Allowance has been increased to $1,299 per year. • Overtime is now payable to officers who are required to return to duty on their rostered shift without a 10-hour break, or when overtime runs into their next rostered shift. In those cases, overtime rates will apply until they are released from duty. • Bereavement Leave has been increased to three days for each event. • Introduction of 10 single day sick leave absences with a certificate from a Health Practitioner, e.g. Chemist. The five single days without a certificate are still in place, with an improvement that allows up to three of those days to be taken consecutively without a certificate. • Five days cultural Leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander officers. • Employer Superannuation contributions on up to 12 weeks unpaid Parental Leave. • Access to pro-rata long service leave for officers nearing superannuation preservation age. • $1,000 per year pay rise back dated July 1, 2019. The Union was fortunate to have a range of current and former serving Members across the ranks, experienced in uniform, detective, and specialist fields of policing provide evidence during the arbitration hearing. Their evidence was essential to our argument that policing is corrosive to wellbeing, unique, demanding and at times traumatic,
