Nine-day fortnight police deal plan set to spark showdown

A mediator appointed to end a pay negotiation stalemate between Victoria Police and the union is set to recommend nine-day fortnights be introduced, in a move that’s feared could diminish public safety.

A landmark nine-day fortnight is set to be recommended for Victoria’s 17,000 police officers. Picture: Zizi Averill

A landmark nine-day fortnight is set to be recommended for Victoria’s 17,000 police officers as part of a new pay deal.

The decision is set to spark a showdown with Chief Commissioner Shane Patton and senior command, who believe the change will put public safety at risk and cause stations to close.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal an independent mediator appointed to end the pay negotiation stalemate between Victoria Police and the Police Association has recommended nine-hour shifts over a nine-day fortnight be phased in.

That decision is set to be opposed by Victoria Police and sent to Industrial Relations Victoria for a final verdict.

The introduction of the nine-hour shift model has been a non-negotiable demand by the union, who say it would address burnout and unpaid overtime.

It’s been recommended Victoria Police officers have a nine-day fortnight.

The state government is believed to support the nine-day fortnight despite the Chief Commissioner’s fears it will mean less police shifts, take the equivalent of more than 2000 police off the beat, and permanently close up to 40 stations.

Yesterday, a Victoria Police source told the Sunday Herald Sun: “It would be a very bold government to ignore (Victoria Police’s) concerns about community safety and effectively slash police resources.

“They would be taking away (the) authority to roster police when and where they are needed the most and will leave them with a depleted workforce.

“Dozens of police stations would be permanently closed and calls for help unanswered, all for extra leave that many of the members don’t even want.’’

The key demand has been at the centre of the bitter and protracted pay dispute for almost a year, with force command raising concerns about its practical implementation.

The union is also fighting for a 4 per cent wage increase as well as a “cost-of-living adjustment”.

Sources familiar with ongoing mediations say the recommendation could be opposed as early as this week, with a challenge by Victoria Police to threaten renewed industrial action.

Officers launched industrial action on December 3 last year and threatened to implement a ban on issuing penalty notices except in certain circumstances and refuse to patrol major events, before pausing action when Victoria Police committed to moving towards developing and implementing a nine-hour shift model.

However, Mr Patton later told members it would incur a prohibitive cost.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Patton said internal modelling had shown the move – when applied solely to regional uniformed members up to the rank of senior sergeant – would require an additional injection of police at an estimated cost of $1.548bn.

“The reality is this proposal would seriously undermine our capacity to keep the community safe and further burden our already-stretched resources,” Mr Patton said.

“If nine-hour shifts were rolled out to all members across the organisation, the number of extra police required, and associated costs, would blow out to $3.189bn.

“For those reasons, it’s not something that Victoria Police is able to negotiate on because we cannot sustain this impact on our service delivery and our budget. We simply can’t afford it.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said: “Victoria Police continues to negotiate in good faith and will not be providing a running commentary on our discussions.”

The Police Association Victoria declined to comment.