Police win family friendly shifts, more cash in new pay deal

A landmark enterprise bargaining deal will see huge changes to the way police work, new conditions and increases in pay and allowances. SEE HOW MUCH THEY WILL GET

“This agreement looks at freeing up our existing resources to put them back on the road, back into frontline roles.’’ – Police Association president Mark Carroll.

The police union has negotiated a landmark enterprise bargaining agreement that will transform the way many officers work and deliver new allowances and conditions.

The agreement will also deliver an annual 2 per cent pay rise for police for the next three years and see civilians take over many tasks to enable more officers to be put back on the front line.

The historic agreement will, for the first time, enable police officers to work compressed weeks, split-shifts and create part-time positions in many areas of the department.

It also will accelerate the use of civilians in many traditional police roles.

A meeting of Police Association delegates will this morning vote on the proposed enterprise agreement, which would start on January 1.

Police Association president Mark Carroll said the agreement was “a very competitive package in a COVID-19 environment’.

Police Association president Mark Carroll said the agreement was “a very competitive package in a COVID-19 environment’’ that would see police officers benefit both financially and with improved working conditions.

“ … We have been able to work through a whole range of flexibility arrangements for our members to better use existing resources across a range of different work employment options,’’ Mr Carroll said. Under the agreement, police will receive four pay rises of 2 per cent over the next three years, with the first on January 1. Because of COVID-19, police will not receive a pay increase in 2020.

The rises will take the base pay of a constable from $70,249 to $76,040 on January 1, 2024, a senior constable from $84,053 to $90,982 and a sergeant from $101,958 to $110,363, with penalty rates and allowances on top.

The most significant changes will allow day shift officers to work condensed weeks – four 10-hour days – and transition to part-time if they wish in areas of the department that can successfully accommodate the moves.

“This might actually keep people in policing longer if they can work within SAPOL in a more flexible way,” Mr Carroll said.

The agreement also will see a range of existing allowances increased by 2 per cent annually, along with several new allowances. Other new in-itiatives include allowing a portion of long service leave to be cashed out, increasing time-off-in lieu provisions and allowing some annual leave to be taken in one-hour increments.

Civilians will be used in many traditional police roles, with protective security officers to be used in areas including summons and warrant deliveries, hospital guards, 000 operators, crowd management and prisoner transport. “This offer recognises the changing nature of the police profession,’’ Mr Carroll said. “No longer can we afford for police officers to do work that is important, but can be done by protective security officers.

“This agreement looks at freeing up our existing resources to put them back on the road, back into frontline roles.’’

If enough police prosecutors cannot be attracted from within the department, solicitors will be hired on a two-year contract and a trial will be held using PSOs in the City Watch House as cell guards under the supervision of sworn officers.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens acknowledged the efforts of “all parties to agree upon a package of proposals which demonstrate contemporary thinking and working within a world that has been impacted so significantly by COVID-19”.

Originally published as Police win family friendly shifts, more cash in new pay deal