Detention officers across Australia’s onshore immigration detention network begin striking today, after United Workers Union (UWU) members voted 98 per cent in favour of industrial action. A series of rolling one-hour stoppages starts this evening, as workers press Secure Journeys to meet their core claims on pay and rostering.
Action is to commence from today (4 June) as a series of 1 hour stoppages as follows:
- Thursday 4 June commencing at 5.30pm and concluding at 6.30pm (all states except WA)
- Friday 5 June commencing at 5.30am and concluding at 6.30am (all states)
- Friday 5 June commencing at 5.30pm and concluding at 6.30pm (all states)
This result follows multiple rounds of intensive bargaining with Secure Journeys, with the company refusing to meaningfully address workers’ core claims around pay and rostering, issues the union says are inseparable from the safety of both staff and detainees.
Detention Services Officers (DSOs) are currently paid significantly less than workers in comparable security roles, despite working in more complex and volatile environments. Systemic rostering failures, including staff working 11 shifts of 12 hours in 15-day blocks, are creating dangerous levels of fatigue across the network. Secure Journeys after talking through whole last year and after 10 bargaining meeting they have agreed in principal but still not clear will this be added into the proposed new agreement.
“Our members have been patient. They have attended ten bargaining meetings and a Fair Work Commission Conference, and yet the company has not meaningfully moved on any major claims,” said UWU Allied Industries Director Godfrey Moase.
Understaffed and under-resourced centres pose risks that extend well beyond the walls of detention facilities.
“These are facilities that are operating in communities across Australia, and the safety standards within them matter to all of us.”
“This is not just a wages dispute. A workforce that is underpaid, overstretched and exhausted cannot keep detainees or themselves safe. Secure Journeys is an American private prison company that is looking to maximise its profits from a contract with the Australian Government at the expense of the people doing this vital and difficult work. It should be operating at the highest standards of safety and care. The current situation raises serious questions about whether those standards are being met.”
“Staff deserve to go home safe at the end of every shift. When a company prioritises cost-cutting over care, it is not just workers and detainees who are affected. It is the integrity of the system that the broader community relies on to manage detention humanely and securely.”
“The vote today sends a clear message that workers will not accept these conditions and are prepared to act.”
UWU is calling on Secure Journeys to return to the bargaining table this week and reach an agreement that respects and recognises the critical work our members do, and one that delivers fair pay and a rostering system that puts safety at the forefront.
ENDS
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