In response to a superannuation disagreement with the federal government, NSW Police officers are scheduled to engage in strike action on Friday.
Officers would refuse to engage with Commonwealth agencies or departments, such as the Australian Federal Police, as part of the strike action, which the Police Association of NSW (PANSW) claims will take place unless the government settles the dispute by tomorrow morning.
The union has pledged that it won’t put the public at risk or inconvenience them.
Members of the organisation are expected to continue to work “all jobs where there is a risk to the life or physical/psychological welfare of a person,” despite being instructed to refuse particular activities including transporting AFP prisoners and doing immigration inspections.
The threat of action comes as talks over required disability and death insurance as well as other federal government aid for officers have come to a standstill.
The PANSW claims that its officers are being “punished by a bureaucratic mess that counts mandatory death and disability insurance as superannuation contributions”.
Pat Gooley, secretary of PANSW, stated that “this fight is with the federal government and (assistant treasurer) Stephen Jones, not the people of NSW.”
We won’t have any negative effects on the positive relationships that police officers in NSW enjoy with the communities they serve.
The union asserts that the federal government’s contribution to superannuation, which is funded by the required death and disability insurance coverage, is insufficient.
The same right as any other worker to provide for their family today and save money on their own for retirement, he added. “Police aren’t asking for a pay rise or a handout,” he said.
