Police union's multimillion dollar wage claim dismissed

Perth Now

2 days ago

A police union's bid to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wages for rank-and-file officers working extra time has been thrown out in court.
The Police Association of Victoria launched proceedings in the Federal Court in December, demanding the state's force repay lost wages for current and former officers.
But Justice Shaun McElwaine on Thursday rejected the union's claim for compensation and dismissed the application.
The union said thousands of officers had been unpaid for work at the beginning and end of their shifts over six years, potentially losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars.
Officers arrived to work about 30 minutes earlier to undertake required pre-work activities, including changing into uniform, collecting and preparing equipment such as guns, Tasers and breathalysers, and inspecting and preparing police cars for patrols.
Members also attended briefings before starting their shifts, then repeated the process in reverse at the end of their day.
A union spokesman expressed disappointment in the court's decision, but said it was a "necessary" fight to have.
He said the campaign for members' pay had already resulted in Victoria Police changing its practices, with the most recent work agreement including activities, such as kitting up and down, administrative tasks and handovers, within shift times.
"If the employer concedes that these tasks should be built into working shifts now and into the future, there should exist a liability for the past in which these tasks were performed outside of rostered hours," the spokesman said.
The union's court claim was raised during a protracted industrial dispute, which resolved in February when members voted to accept a 4.5 per cent annual pay rise over four years, with those on the front line winning an additional 0.5 per cent raise.
As part of the new deal, members lost a claim to cash in up to 12 months of accrued sick leave upon retirement.
The union launched legal proceedings while then-police commissioner Shane Patton was in charge, but he was pushed out of the role in February following a vote of no confidence by rank-and-file officers.
Former New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush was installed as Victoria's next police chief in June after former Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent decided not to apply for the permanent role after serving as the force's acting chief.