Police Union Threatens Walkout

[Artie]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/state/...XKL4MZOOC.html

It could mean the first strike in 80 years.

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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Delta_V]

Interesting.

Cops here aren't allowed to go on strike.

[Artie]

When they went on strike 80 years ago, the Government sacked every one of them, and because it was in the depression, it didn't take them much time to re-staff the force. Not one officer who was sacked was re-hired. NSW has never gone on strike.

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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Delta_V]

What did they do about law enforcement after the 'sack,' while new officers were being trained? Did the military come in or did they just send the new officers out on the streets with no experience? Were there even police academys 80 years ago?

I recall in this country when many Air Traffic Controllers went on strike in the early 80s. President Reagan fired every single one of them too.

[Artie]

PatrickM98,
From what I remember of the history, crime was rampant until they got a force up and running. I think they used mainly men who were unemployed after returning from the war. I will do some research on it. Academies? No, I think they gave them a baton and told them to get out and crush crime.


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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Artie]

Pay offer an insult: police

From AAP
03jul01

TALKS between the Victorian government and police over a pay increase for officers have collapsed, the Police Association said today.

Association secretary Paul Mullett said the talks had reached a stalemate as the government was not willing to offer any more than a three per cent pay increase.

Police have called for pay rises of between 13 and 39 per cent to bring the Victorian pay structure into line with that in New South Wales, where senior constables are paid $10,000 a year more than their Victorian counterparts.

"The negotiations have broken down because this government is not prepared to consider wage rises and other career structure improvements that we believe are essential," Senior Sergeant Mullett said.

"The offer that has been made to the association is an insult to serving officers and will further erode the low morale of members."

Senior Sergeant Mullett said the association would meet with members before responding to the government's offer.

The association has also called for better resources - particularly in regional areas - and the creation of a better career structure to prevent officers leaving the force for interstate jobs or a career in private enterprise.




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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Artie]

Patrick,
The Police Act (Vic), passed in 1853, set the pattern for future organisation and structure of other police forces in Australia and New Zealand. Victoria Police, established in 1853, replaced the seven separate police forces which had served the colony. The first force consisted of 875 men, working alone, often on horseback riding hundreds of miles to carry out their duties. The Ned Kelly incident is the most memorable for the early Victorian police. With Federation on 1 January 1901, colonial police forces became state police forces.

The Victorian Chief Commissioner Alexander Nicholson was

[Artie]

Vic police to consider strike action

From AAP
05jul01

A SPECIAL meeting of the Victorian police union executive tomorrow will consider a statewide strike as part of an industrial campaign to improve pay rates.

Police Association of Victoria industrial officer Paul Mullett said the union executive would discuss a strategy for industrial action and the best way to report back to the union's thousands of members across the state.

The special meeting was called after force management refused to improve its offer of a three per cent annual pay rise for officers.

The police association has called for a wage rise of between 13 and 39 per cent to bring Victorian officers in line with their New South Wales counterparts.

Mr Mullett said talks between the association and the police service had broken down after reaching a stalemate.

An executive meeting was called on Tuesday and adjourned until tomorrow.

Mr Mullett said all forms of industrial action would be discussed.

Asked whether statewide strikes and stoppages had been discussed, Senior Sergeant Mullett said: "We won't rule out any form of action at this stage."

He said the union believed the offer was an insult and would result in a mass exodus of experienced officers from the force.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Bill Kelly this week said talks with union representatives were not over, only suspended, and would continue once the union returned to the negotiating table.

Mr Kelly agreed that Victoria's police officers deserved a pay rise but said the nine per cent on offer over three years was government policy and was not negotiable.

Officers could increase their income by rising through the ranks of a new police structure still under negotiation with the police association, he said.



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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Delta_V]

Who's going to protect the citizens if the police go on strike? They've already taken away their guns. I guess it will just be open season for crime in Victoria, and nobody will be able to do anything about it...since weapons aren't needed in Australia for protection.

[Artie]

PatrickM98,
We will have to wait and see. I hope the government relents.

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We are the Police! Resistance is Futile!

[Jim]

Boston Police once went on strike....check out http://www.bppa.org/history.htm

[Artie]

The Herald Sun (Vic)
Police pay deal rejected

By PETER MICKELBUROUGH, chief police reporter
12jul01

POLICE have rejected a pay offer of up to 20 per cent, insisting on rises of up to twice that.

The offer was made before pay talks stalled last week amid threats of industrial action.

The Police Association wants rises of between 13 and 39 per cent and is believed to be considering banning the collection of traffic fines unless police get a better deal.

"The Government's offer is an absolute insult to every serving member of the Victoria Police force and a flow-on insult to the community, because it doesn't address resourcing issues," Association secretary Sen-Sgt Paul Mullett said yesterday.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Bill Kelly said the force remained willing to discuss the offer.

"The offer and new career progression model recognises frontline policing and rewards those members who perform the hardest duties," he said.

Under the offer, police would gain a direct 9 per cent pay rise over three years, with a new rank and 11 new pay classifications allowing further rises.

A rank of leading senior constable would give about 800 of 5670 senior constables the chance to gain rises of up to 20 per cent over four years.

Three new pay scales at each of the ranks of senior constable, sergeant and senior sergeant, and single extra scales for inspectors and superintendents would allow pay rises of up to 16 per cent.

The proposal also calls for drug and alcohol testing, compulsory long service leave, infrastructure improvements, and more flexible work arrangements such as career breaks and extended leave without pay.

Sen-Sgt Mullett said the offer did not come close to putting Victoria's police on a par with NSW police, and it ignored the union's suggestions on how to ensure police stations were properly staffed and resourced.

He said it included too many restrictions on promotions and an unacceptable end to automatic promotions to senior constable.

"If you get into their classification of leading senior constable that can be reviewed and taken away from you after three years," Sen-Sgt Mullett said. "So it's career regression, not progression."

Sen-Sgt Mullett said the offer also failed to address the union's claim for a 36-hour week, cash allowances for living outside Melbourne, and salary packaging

[PeteBroccolo]

The RCMP is prevented by Federal law, The RCMP Act, from being unionized and thus unable to take strike action. In all Provinces other than Ontario and Quebec the Federal and Provincial Governments have entered into contracts for the RCMP to provide Provincial Police services, and many cities and towns in those Provinces have contracts with the Federal and Provincial governments for the RCMP to provide Municipal Police Services.
When a Municipal Police Service goes on strike in the Provinces where we are the Provincial Police then the RCMP is brought in to temporarily provide policing service.
If the Provincial Jail or Federal Penitentiary staff, who are unionized, go on strike in a Province where we are the Provincial Police, again the RCMP are brought in to temporarily provide guard service.

[mashima]

Every union memeber should be fired when they strike. Any businesess primary function is to make money, not make sure their employee's kids have braces. If they employer wants to help with that then good... otherwise show up for work or quit and geta job elsewhere if you don't like the job.

[Artie]

Mashima:
Every union memeber should be fired when they strike.
I am not a big fan of striking. However, if it were not for the union movement's use of the strike in the 20th century, we would all be working 16 hour days, 7 days per week, with little recompense.

Any businesess primary function is to make money, not make sure their employee's kids have braces.
The primary function of many businesses is not to make money. I cannot think of any government department whose primary function is to make money. Certainly not any Police Force. Their primary function is to protect like and property. If money were a consideration, not many investigations would be undertaken, because they are not cost effective.

If they employer wants to help with that then good... otherwise show up for work or quit and geta job elsewhere if you don't like the job.
What type of work do you do?