Vic: Minister attacks union over pre-election campaign

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2006
Vic: Minister attacks union over pre-election campaign

MELBOURNE, Aug 9 AAP - The Victorian police union's campaign for more front line officers
and a 15 per cent wage rise has been described as silly and opportunistic by Police Minister
Tim Holding.

Mr Holding has accused the union of pressuring the government into meeting its demands
in a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).

The Police Association's Sign Up For Community Safety Campaign was launched two months
ago in an attempt to get public support for a new EBA to be signed before the state election
in November.

Association secretary Paul Mullett had threatened the possibility of rallying his members
to vote against Labor if it did not start negotiations on a new EBA.

"It's basically an industrial campaign to say `we want our new enterprise agreement',
but their agreement doesn't expire until June 6, 2007," Mr Holding told The Age newspaper.

"That's an agreement Paul Mullett signed as secretary," he said.

"If every union that wanted to negotiate an enterprise agreement regardless of when
it expires, simply opportunistically chose the time before an election, there would be
absolute chaos.

"It's an industrial agreement that they are trying to compel the government to negotiate
now simply through brute force rather than when it expires."

Mr Mullett said the union was simply working in the interest of its members.

"We don't want to get into a slanging match with the minister," he said.

"We want to address the issues."

AAP sam/evt

KEYWORD: POLICE

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