Unionised corrections officers march on Bill Yan’s office and demand Commissioner Varley quit
Unionised corrections officers have marched into the office of their former boss, demanding their current leader get the sack. WATCH THE VIDEO.
Northern Territory
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Unionised corrections officers “sick of the lip service” have turned to the former boss of the Alice Springs Correctional Centre in a bid to get the current leader of the Territory prison system to stand down.
On Friday, United Workers Union NT branch secretary Erina Early walked with more than 20 corrections officers on a march through Alice Springs to NT Treasurer Bill Yan’s office.
Mr Yan is the former general manager of the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, with the corrections officers leaving a petition at his office demanding the resignation of NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley.
“We actually want to see a corrections CEO or commissioner or anyone, the minister, to actually listen to the correction officers here,” Ms Early said in a press conference before the march.
“We’re sick of the lip service – we want someone to start listening to the voices of correctional officers.”
Mr Yan was not in the office when the officers arrived, and staffer took the letter – written for NT Corrections Minister Gerard Maley – and told marchers he’ll “flick it to” Mr Yan.
The officers and Ms Early marched down Gregory Tce beginning at the Hartley St roundabout and ending at Mr Yan’s office.
The march came after the union released the results of their no-confidence vote against Mr Varley.
In the poll, 98 per cent of the of the 519 correctional officers surveyed no longer trusted Mr Varley’s leadership.
In total, NT Corrections employs a total of 1352 staff, 722 of which are uniformed corrections officers.
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