Police officers in Victoria will warn motorists about the location of speed cameras as part of a strike to demand pay rises.
Police and security services took the measure from 7am on Thursday to reduce revenue from traffic fines, including writing union slogans on police vehicles and parking in front of government buildings.
The pay dispute between the Victoria Police Association and Victoria Police has been ongoing since late last year and has not yet been resolved.
In May, an agreement in principle was reached that would give officers a nine-day workweek and a 16 percent pay rise over four years.
However, the agreement was rejected by the members and the parties returned to the negotiating table.
Victoria Police have now rejected the union’s claims and torn up the previously proposed agreement, taking negotiations back to square one, the police union said on Thursday.
“Our members do not want strikes but after submitting a number of revised claims to Victoria Police they have been unable to engage in meaningful negotiations,” said secretary Wayne Gatt.
The police are demanding, among other things, a 24 percent pay increase over four years and that the time employees spend putting on and taking off their gear at the start and end of their shifts be considered part of their shift rather than an unpaid addition to it.
Members of Victoria Police stand outside the MCG during the AFL Grand Final match between the Hawthorn Hawks and Sydney Swans at the MCG in Melbourne, Saturday, September 27, 2014. (AAP Image/Joe Castro) NO ARCHIVING, FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Police officers will warn drivers of approaching speed cameras (pictured) so they don’t get fined. This is one of the measures union members are taking.
Mr Gatt said the Executive Command had “completely lost control of crime in Victoria” due to a lack of investment in staff.
“It is not enough to allow the leaders of these agencies to continue to operate and exhaust their staff to the point where we as police forces cannot even perform our core duties,” he said.
“Get to work, roll up your sleeves and solve this.”
Warning Victorians about speed cameras so they don’t get fined is just part of the union’s first phase of strike action.
The police paint their vehicles with slogans such as: ‘Don’t abandon the police – pay us what we’re worth’ and ‘fighting crime doesn’t pay’.
Union members will vote in the coming days on whether to move the issue to phase two.
At that stage, members would be able to refuse to issue fines for all but the most serious traffic violations.
A Victoria Police spokesperson told the public Daily Mail Australia they were ‘ensuring frontline policing services and community safety are maintained’.
‘We remain committed to negotiating in good faith with the Police Association Victoria and independent negotiating representatives to reach an agreement that recognises the challenges of policing and is fair to Victoria’s police, security services and the community.’
The strike has left the state government at odds with the three emergency services over wage increases.
Since March, emergency services have become increasingly restrictive, now affecting communications, clinical support, triage services, duty rosters and aviation operations.
The government is also struggling to reach an agreement with firefighters who are demanding a 25 percent pay increase over three years and $117 million in bonuses.
