Vic: Critical meeting today in police pay dispute

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2001
Vic: Critical meeting today in police pay dispute

MELBOURNE, Aug 24 AAP - Victorian police could refuse to walk the beat or make mobile
patrols if an executive meeting of the Police Association today agrees to escalate work
bans.

As the police pay dispute continues, the executive will vote on whether to escalate
work bans which have closed 26 stations in recent days and threatened police patrols at
weekend sporting fixtures.

Today's meeting follows three days of talks between Force Command, Chief Commissioner
Christine Nixon and association secretary Paul Mullett at a secret location.

The association was not commenting on the progress of the talks yesterday, but the
escalated bans could mean the end to police attendance at Neighbourhood Watch meetings,
Blue Light Discos and other community programs.

The dispute erupted after police demanded a pay rise of between 13 and 39 per cent
to give them pay parity with their New South Wales colleagues.

The Victorian government has offered between 12 and 24 per cent, and warned that if
industrial action continued it would withdraw the offer and refer the dispute to the Australian
Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) for arbitration.

Negotiations between the Police Association and the government broke down last week.

Meanwhile, Victoria's disability carers will meet next week to discuss possible strike
action after talks between union and government representatives broke down yesterday.

The Health and Community Services Union wants safer workplaces and better training
for its members, and has said hopes of ending the dispute - and the union's campaign of
rolling stoppages - were fading.

Both the police and disability carers' unions will take heart from yesterday's agreement
reached between the nurses' union and hospital heads.

Under the deal, an extra 350 nurses will be hired and more hospital beds opened after
Australian Nursing Federation members agreed to accept staffing numbers brokered during
last night's peace talks.

Nurse-patient ratios, which average one nurse to between four and 12 patients, were
modified from those set in the AIRC last August, placing a slightly heavier load on staff
working afternoon shifts in regional hospitals.

In return, the government agreed to abolish caps on the number of nurses needed to
fulfil the targets.

The dispute culminated in nurses closing 1,000 hospital beds and threatening to strike
for the first time in 15 years.

AAP ac/cjh/de

KEYWORD: POLICE VIC DAYLEAD

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.