‘Filthy, disgusting animals’: Police walk out over pay and conditions

Victoria’s police officers are at breaking point as they deal with “filthy, disgusting animals” and stage their biggest walkout to date over pay and conditions, the union boss says.

Hundreds of officers walked off the job at the force’s Melbourne headquarters at Docklands on 11am on Friday, pouring into a forecourt outside and launching into a series of frustrated speeches.

Victorian police officers stopping work at the force’s Melbourne headquarters on Friday.Credit: Joe Armao

Police Association of Victoria boss Wayne Gatt was third to take up a yellow stool in front of the crowd, saying it was no wonder officers had enough, while a Fair Work Commission decision over their impasse with Victoria Police loomed.

“These are the people that, week after week, front up to your protests on their days off, on their kids’ birthdays, to protests in the city to keep our community safe there,” Gatt said.

“They’re our members who stood in Southbank weeks ago, had shit thrown at them, rocks thrown at them, wore strainers on their heads to protect them from filthy, disgusting animals. That’s the people that you are standing next to, people who put themselves second and the community first.”

The Police Association Victoria is demanding a 24 per cent pay rise over four years and the introduction of 8.5-hour shifts, which would give officers an extra 14 days off a year.

Hundreds of police poured into the Spencer Street forecourt to take part in the action.Credit: Joe Armao

However, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said earlier this month that force command had not been authorised by the Allan government to increase its offer of 4 per cent a year, or 16 per cent over four years, which union members rejected in June.

Gatt on Friday said officers had to deal with the most “filthy, disgusting and vile” commentary from crooks every day. Protective service officers boarded public transport selflessly, “when some lunatic jumps on and tries to harm [passengers],” he said.

“It pisses me off that while you’re running into danger, this government is running away from you,” he said.

A police member on Friday morning told Gatt she was in court last week with an offender on his 67th count of bail, he said. The union boss later told reporters: “What brickie lays the same brick 67 times?”

The Fair Work Commission is expected to decide before the new year whether it will intervene in the pay dispute and declare the negotiation process “intractable”.

That would mean independent arbitrators from the commission would decide the terms of the new enterprise bargaining agreement.

But the police union is demanding the bargaining process continue and insists it is entitled to use protected industrial action to apply pressure to force command and the government to improve its offer.

Victoria Police has staged 17 walkouts as part of the industrial dispute, with Friday’s being the largest.

Gatt conceded on Friday he was worried members were going down a path they could no longer control.

He vowed members would continue rolling walkouts. “I’ve never seen anything like [today] in my 30 years,” he said.

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto and opposition police spokesman Brad Battin attended Friday’s action.

With Cameron Houston

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