Despite all that is occurring due to the current global pandemic, WAPOU has commenced bargaining with representatives from the Department of Justice and Public Sector Labour Relations for the Prison Officers Industrial Agreement. The current agreement ex ...

The focus of the union during these unprecedented times remains the safety and security of its members. WAPOU has been outspoken regarding the importance of maintaining strong measures to ensure our prison system remains COVID-19 free. For this reason, th ...

We are pleased to announce after years of campaigning by WAPOU, prisoners who assaulted a Prison Officer and are suspected of having an infectious disease, will undergo mandatory testing.   The Prisons Amendment Bill 2020, passed Parliament yesterday ...

On the eve of the opening of two new units at Casuarina Prison local members have expressed concerns that the large expanse of glass around the control rooms and officer interview rooms was a risk to staff. Casuarina members have requested grills to be in ...

A positive COVID-19 story coming from the Corrective Services Training Academy is that efforts to address the risks associated with the highest risk category of skills training – competencies that require physical contact, such as restraints and def ...

A long-running dispute at Hakea, in relation to 12-hour shift officers not getting their second meal break, is getting closer to being resolved.   TOIL approvals are now being processed and officers should be able to make arrangements with their loca ...

The Department of Justice’s recent decision to engage in “bulk recruitment” for the many state-wide VSO vacancies means that individual positions will not be advertised for the foreseeable future.   This is likely to have an impact ...

The criteria for testing for COVID-19 continues to be expanded, especially for workers in high-risk workplaces such as prisons. WAPOU encourages all members who are experiencing any of the following symptoms to not attend work until such time as you have ...

The recent announcement by the State Government that public schools will be opening in Term 2 may have some implications for WAPOU members with school aged children.   While the announcement provided flexibility for parents to choose to keep their ch ...

WAPOU has welcomed the release of new advice from Public Sector Labour Relations (PSLR) for vulnerable workers in high-risk settings such as prisons. The updated advice followed a consultation PSLR and WAPOU, where specific concerns were raised on behalf ...

WAPOU welcomes the long overdue announcement from the Department of Justice this week that they are engaging in the bulk recruitment of Vocational Support Officers. Vocational Support Officers play a vital role in the rehabilitation and up-skilling of pr ...

Recently our Industrial Officers have received many queries about various tasks assigned Officers, and other queries about the safety of the working environment, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases the queries fall under the ambit of ‘o ...

Amid all the recent COVID-19 related news, it might have been easy to overlook a massive win for WAPOU. On Saturday 6 April, after three and half years, the failed experiment of a French catering company running a Western Australian maximum-security wome ...

An incident at Casuarina Prison on Sunday 29 March 2020, where a number of inmates made their way on to a roof, led to one of our members being injured after being struck on the head by a projectile thrown by one of the prisoners involved in the incident. ...

Dear members,  WAPOU are acutely aware that members are experiencing high levels of anxiety, stress and feelings of uncertainty due to the increasingly concerning COVID-19 pandemic.  Your health, safety and wellbeing will always remain our prima ...