Lotus Glen: Prison officers protest over pay dispute with Queensland Corrective Services
Prison officers are threatening industrial action over a pay dispute with the state’s correctional body amid claims the Far North facility is dangerously understaffed and morale is “rock bottom”.
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PRISON officers at Lotus Glen are threatening industrial action over a pay dispute with the state’s correctional body amid claims the facility is dangerously understaffed and morale is “at rock bottom”.
Up to 100 corrections employees are expected to march in protest on Wednesday over the “ridiculous wages and conditions” with its union claiming most front line guards are “paid less than the cleaners”.
Together Union corrections assistant branch secretary Michael Thomas said Lotus Glen workers had been fighting for more than a 2.5 per cent increase in the enterprise bargaining (EB) process.
The current EBA expired more than two years ago.
“Correctional officers from around the state have waited over two years to get an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement up,” Mr Thomas said.
“If you start in a correctional facility as a cleaner for the first four years you’ll get paid more than the correctional officers.
“They are the lowest paid employees in the state, assaults are through the roof, overcrowding is through the roof, and the level of frustration from officers is at an all-time high.”
The Lotus Glen centre is one of the Far North’s major employers with more than 400 workers.
One staffer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the facility was understaffed by 20 employees, meaning the prison is in a constant state of lockdown to cope.
Together lodged an application with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for an interim pay rise of 2.5 per cent in August.
Mr Thomas said strike action was not being ruled out.
“Satisfaction among employees at Lotus Glen is at is rock bottom,” Mr Thomas said.
“When you are paid less than anyone else in the country and we can’t even get an offer from government after two years, they are just fed up.”
“We need local members to stand up for correctional officers in their community.”
Wednesday protest is being planned at the Cairns office of Cook MP Cynthia Lui.
Mr Thomas said prison officers were the forgotten arm of law enforcement.
“They play a huge part in keeping the community safe,” he said.
“We all want to know the prisoners are locked away somewhere, but we don’t actually think about the people that we ask to keep us safe.”
Queensland Corrective Services has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as Lotus Glen: Prison officers protest over pay dispute with Queensland Corrective Services
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