"It needs to improve."
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With those words Premier Daniel Andrews indicated his government's displeasure at the handling of staffing issues at the Police Assistance Line and Online Reporting Centre (PAL&OLR) in Ballarat.
Speaking at a press conference in Ballarat on Friday, the premier made it clear he was aware of the workplace issues, reported extensively in The Courier since the centre opened.
Asked if he was comfortable with the way workers at the centre were being treated, Mr Andrews issued a one-word answer: "No."
"I think there's been some significant issues there. I want to be as plain about it as I can: I think it needs to improve, and the Police Minister is across this issue; and we are confident it will improve.
"Whenever you set something up that's new, to work out what level of staff is required on day one can be quite a challenging thing. But that would never justify treating staff badly. There has been some communication breakdowns there. I think it has improved; that's at least the advice I've had.
"I'm not for a moment trying to skirt the issue that it hasn't been as good as it should be; I think it's a little better than it was. It may have been overstaffed at the beginning for what we needed - but that's not the staff's fault."
The centre opened in the Flecknoe Building of Federation University in July this year, with staff promised ongoing full-time, part-time and casual work by the government's chosen contractor, Serco Group Pty Limited.
Serco runs prisons in Australia and is responsible for the management of the troubled immigration detention centres.
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Within weeks of opening PAL staff approached The Courier complaining of shift cuts, from 38 hours a week at the start to 30 per week in August, with a massive cut to 8 hours a week in September.
Casual staff now say they go two weeks without any shifts being offered. In addition, staff members have informed The Courier they were inadequately trained for their roles, were harassed in the workplace, and managers played favourites when allocating shift work. They also complained of a lack of counselling following abusive or distressing calls.
Workers should expect no less than to have a safe place of work without the threat of sexual harassment or bullying behaviour. There is no doubt that its time for heads to roll and Serco needs to act swiftly and decisively to hold those accountable for this clusterf**k to account.
- Matt Norrey, ASU
Serco deny these allegations, and blame the lack of work on a government overestimation call volumes.
Branch secretary of the Australian Services Union (ASU) Matt Norrey says union has serious concerns over the allegations, based on feedback received from members.
"It would appear that the PAL operation has been a complete disaster since day one, with employees being offered jobs with significantly exaggerated available hours, only to find that they are lucky to get 1 or 2 shifts per month," Mr Norrey said.
"We have members that were told they would be permanent full-time and part-time employees who were given casual contracts when they commenced work, some of whom had given up good jobs and full-time work on the promise of a career at the PAL. No one should expect to be treated like this.
"In relation to the abhorrent allegations of sexual harassment and bullying behaviour the ASU will leave no stone unturned in holding management at the PAL and Serco to account. The ASU has met with Serco and demanded that they fully investigate the allegations raised in The Courier on 26 October 2019. The ASU has also launched our own investigations into the allegations to ensure that Serco cannot gild the lily or cover up any of their findings."
In a statement similar to previous, Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville said the centre had taken almost 330,000 calls.
"October saw the highest volume of calls taken to date, with almost 62,000 answered throughout the month. We expect the amount of shifts offered to casual employees to increase as the PAL becomes more established across the state.
"Serco will be reviewing their casual numbers and their ability to maintain shifts for casual employees based on current and projected call volumes. We have worked with Victoria Police to ensure Serco have an appropriate communication strategy to work with employees and their unions regarding staffing levels, and this will be strictly adhered to."
The Courier will continue to follow the issue.