Staff at Wandoo vote to take industrial action over EA

Staff at the Wandoo Reintegration Facility have voted to take industrial action after Enterprise Agreement negotiations with employer Serco stalled.

An overwhelming majority of staff have voted to take an escalating range of actions, from refusing to process phone calls up to four hour work stoppages.

Staff represented by the WA Prison Officers’ Union and the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association had asked for a pay rise of 3.75% a year over 3 years, while the company has offered 2.8%, 2.9% and 3%.

“Staff at the other Serco-run prison, Acacia, were granted a pay rise of 4.25% annually last year, and Wandoo staff don’t understand why their offer is so much lower,” said WAPOU Secretary John Welch.

“Wandoo staff are also asking for similar conditions around long service leave to those granted to Acacia staff, which seems only fair since they all work for the same company.

“Wandoo staff are very disappointed they’re being treated as second-class citizens by their employer.”

Mr Welch said any impact of the industrial action on prisoners would be kept to a minimum, but the action would continue until Serco returned to the negotiating table.

“Our members have already voted to formally reject Serco’s pay offer, and now they are sending a message to the company that they are very unhappy with the way they’ve been treated,” he said.

“All they are asking for is to be treated fairly by being granted similar conditions and a pay rise a bit closer to their counterparts at Acacia.”

Mr Welch said WAPOU and the CPSU/CSA had to give Serco three days notice of any industrial action, and had not yet decided when industrial action would commence.