November 1998 Volume 79 Number 11 "serving the protectors"
Industrial Front
By Andrew Murray and Mark Carroll

New Enterprise Bargaining outline

The Police Association is committed to ensuring that its members receive the best possible outcome from its enterprise bargaining negotiations with the Commissioner and the Government, and have the opportunity to consider the results of those negotiations and their effect on them. Real improvements in wages and conditions for members have been achieved. Existing conditions of employment have been retained. The offer meets the Association’s major demands by:

• Providing a fair wages outcome.
• Improving a number of key employment conditions.
• Ensuring ongoing negotiations in a number of contested areas.
• Laying the groundwork for further wage increases to commence in July, 2001.
• Negotiations for the next round of enterprise bargaining commencing in November 2000.

Among the most important gains are:

Remuneration:

• All officers will gain wage increases of not less than 9.5%. These increases will be implemented in three instalments up to July 2000. The first instalment of 4% will be backdated to 1 July 1998.
• Debanding plus annual incremental salary increases will provide additional salary increases for many members. Take the example of a sergeant currently on band 1, earning $40,982. He or she will receive:
• 4% wage increase backdated to 1.7.98, taking salary to $42, 621;
• 3% wage increase on 1.7.99, PLUS move to increment 2 (old band 2), taking salary to $44,803;
• 2.5% wage increase on 1.7.2000, PLUS move to increment 3 (old band 3), taking salary to $46,851.

This represents an increase of 14% in less than two years over current salary levels.

Other new benefits:

• The relief allowance for non-commissioned officers acting in commissioned officers’ positions will be increased to 100%, in place of the current 80%;
• A restructuring allowance of $800 per annum will be paid to all existing band 4 employees;
• Day work senior sergeants to be paid a 15% penalty for afternoon and night shifts (Monday to Friday) in place of the current Police Award provision, where 7 days’ notice is given;
• Two weeks’ paid maternity leave after 12 months’ continuous service.

Improvements in employment conditions include:

• An increase in the number of senior constable positions to 35% of sworn-officer positions. This means an additional 190 constables will be appointed to the senior constable level, beginning from July 1999 and within the life of the agreement.
• The disciplinary review office and its current prosecution function will be replaced with a new Policy Advice section to oversee a decentralised disciplinary process.

Ongoing negotiations:

• The integration of Internal Investigation Branch and Anti-Corruption Branch investigative functions will be considered.
• Negotiations will continue on the contested issue of CIB penalties and allowances after the Police Association rejected the Government’s earlier position.

Future Enterprise Bargaining agreements

• The term of the current offer is two years, from the date of approval by the Industrial Relations Commission. Any future wage increases will apply from the commencement of the next agreement in July 2001.

Non-Enterprise Bargaining issues

• In addition, the Association has been able to secure a new agreement on country housing, based on a concessional housing rental model.
• A number of changes to organisational practices, human resource management and rostering issues is included in the agreement. These issues have traditionally been a matter of managerial prerogative. Their inclusion in the current offer provides a basis for the Association’s ongoing involvement in the policy development of these areas.

Copies of the full agreement are available at all headquarters stations and units members are able to obtain a copy from these locations. The Association recommends endorsement of this offer.

Alcohol and Work

The issue of the use of legal drugs and alcohol and their potential impact upon work performance is both important and sensitive. So, when SAPOL sought comment upon a draft policy the Association was keen to oblige.

There can be little doubt that where usage detracts from effective performance, a problem exists. The use of motor vehicles, firearms and other police equipment adds to this potential problem.

Having stated the obvious, however, what should a policy about the issue seek to do. First, it needs to recognise the causes and potential causes for such use. The police profession is recognised as a significant stress factor leading to such use. Logically, the policy should address cause minimisation.

Secondly, the policy should seek to minimise the harm such use could cause to the affected employee and his or her fellow workers.

Thirdly, it should see the issue as one of performance (and its non-achievement) and how to rectify its inadequacy. This should involve the usual performance-improvement process (eg counselling, support, etc).

Ultimately, a policy might logically embrace separation where all other measures fail to rectify the identified problems.

Fundamentally important, however, is that the policy provides a positive framework to identify and rectify causes as well as effects. Termination of an employee for poor performance should be the last (unavoidable) resort in an otherwise positive, problem-solving strategy. It should not be the overstressed outcome of a process which is perceived as unsympathetic to the individual and essentially disciplinary in nature.

Know Your Award

Meal Breaks

That time of the year again approaches where members are being rostered for 12-hour periods. Such extended spans test endurance and pose potential health and safety issues. An important source of stress relief is rest and meal breaks. Some members report that their experience is less than ideal in this regard.

The award provides for (unpaid) meal breaks of between half an hour and one hour (Clause 10(e)) during normal hours and (paid) breaks of 20 minutes for each four hours of overtime worked (Clause 12(f)).

Police Act

The new Act is now available from the Government Information Office. A substantial report to members on its changes is being prepared.