The Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) has a blunt message for Government and the Commissioner of Police: time’s up.
NTPA President, Paul McCue, today launched the Association’s 2022 Consent Agreement public campaign, escalating demands for police to receive the pay rise they deserve.
“Negotiations have been ongoing since February 2022, and members are still without an adequate offer. Since then, almost 120 officers have handed in their badge, and more than 70 officers have been assaulted.
All Labor has done in the last ten months is backflip on its humiliating pay freeze, and the only updated wage policy on the table is a 2% wage rise.
That is outright rejected and couldn’t be more insulting.
- It’s insulting to every officer who has dedicated years of their life, regularly missing critical family milestones, to serve and protect the NT community.
- It’s insulting to every officer who is forced to regularly undertake unsustainable amounts of overtime, just to fill a roster.
- It’s insulting to every officer who wakes to the phone ringing at all hours of the night to attend another emergency.
- It’s insulting to every officer who has been attacked, abused, or assaulted while just trying to do their job.
- It’s insulting to every officer who gave up everything during the COVID pandemic, including the widespread cancellation of leave.
“The sacrifice, suffering and tireless commitment to serving and protecting the people of the Northern Territory is worth more than 2%.
It’s now been 117 days since we publicly released the results of our 2022 Member Survey which show:
- 92.6% of respondents said they do not think there are enough police in the NT to do what is being asked of them;
- 79.4% of respondents rated current morale in the NT Police Force as low, or very low; and
- 87.9% of respondents said they were dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the current pay freeze offer from the Commissioner and Government.
“These results should have been a serious wake-up call to Government, and Commissioner Chalker that our police force is in crisis. But we are yet to see any indication these results are being taken seriously, and that Government has a plan to turn these results around.
“Inflation is tipped to peak at 8% nationally, and our regional and remote members are paying double – sometimes more – for basic groceries.
“Interstate police forces are actively recruiting our members, with many experienced Detectives and TRG members already exiting the door. Defence has also flagged its intention to boost numbers by 60,000. Competition has never been greater.
“Our members are not being unreasonable. They want a pay increase that addresses increasing cost of living pressures in the Territory. They want safe minimum staffing levels, and they want the right to disconnect from work when they have finished their shift and are not on-call.
“We have always been prepared to negotiate in good faith, but there is nothing genuine about a Government that is trying to cheat our members out of the pay rise they deserve.
“If there is not sufficient movement from Government, we will escalate our campaign. We have already had considerable feedback that our members are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure their message is heard, which could include working-to-rule, not feeling pressured to work overtime, and claim every single hour they work.
“The public though can be reassured; this would be a last resort measure – you will not be left without a response from police.
“Our officers are fed up with the delays on their pay deal. We’re now just weeks from the Christmas and New Year holiday period, and our members are without a wage rise, which was due six months ago when the current Consent Agreement expired. What is it going to take for Government to act?
“The community of the Northern Territory deserve to be kept safe. What happens next in these negotiations sits squarely at the feet of the Fyles Government,” said Mr McCue.
ENDS
Please direct all media enquiries to NTPA Communications Officer, Kyrrie Blenkinsop +61 (0) 499 017 654 or media@ntpa.com.au
The Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) is the industrial voice of all members of the Northern Territory Police Force. Read more via www.ntpa.com.au or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NTPoliceAssociation
