source : the age
Children held in Queensland’s youth detention centres are effectively being contained to their cells for the next week, as workers go ahead with a threatened strike.
Staff walked off the job on Wednesday at midnight after negotiations with their employer, the Queensland government, broke down.
The government maintains the detention centres are staffed and secure during the strike, and said that workers’ safety was vitally important.
Workers at Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, West Moreton Youth Detention Centre, Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and Wacol Remand Centre were undertaking protected industrial action until next Tuesday, with eight work bans in place.
Members of the Australian Workers Union would not move young persons around the centre, take them to afternoon programs, escort them to education and therapeutics, or carry out the duties of other employees taking protected industrial action.
Inmates would eat in their cells as a result.
The union said workers deserve safer working conditions, with more than 500 serious staff assaults in the past 12 months.
It claimed the government was failing to retain new recruits, with more than 60 per cent of workers leaving within the first 12 months.
The union said the government could not just “move the crime scene” from the streets to the centres.
“Despite months of negotiations, the Crisafulli-Bleijie government has yet to put forward a dignified and fair offer that respects their Youth Justice frontline,” AWU secretary Stacey Schinnerl said.
“These are tough, high-risk workplaces. Youth detention centre workers put themselves on the line each and every shift.
“Our members don’t want special treatment – they want recognition and respect for the important work they do.”
Minister for Corrective Services Laura Gerber said the safety of workers in youth detention centres was vitally important.
“On behalf of Queenslanders, we remain at the table to negotiate enterprise bargaining agreements in good faith and encourage the Labor unions to join us,” she said.
“We have delivered more youth detention centre workers and increased capacity by 25 per cent, with more beds on the way, after the former Labor government left a legacy of chronic failures, including critical staff shortages and no clear consequences for violent behaviour.”
Queensland youth detention workers also walked off the job in June, citing safety risks and leaving skeleton crews to manage the detainees.
The Youth Detention Centre Enterprise Bargaining Agreement expired at the end of July.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
