State on edge as cops walk off the job

Hundreds of Victorian police officers have walked off the job in a mounting pay dispute with the state government.

The strike action kicked off on Thursday morning and Police Association of Victoria chief executive Wayne Gatt said the disruption could roll on without a satisfactory pay deal from the Jacinta Allan government.

“We’ve got soaring crime in Victoria, a state of law and disorder, not law and order,” he told the Today show on Thursday.

“And our members are powerless to stop it because we are losing cops … we need to stop an attrition rate of 6 per cent.

“We need to stop that. We need to reward our police for the incredible work they do.”

The dispute between the union and the government has been referred to the Fair Work Commission and Mr Gatt said his members felt “completely disrespected”.

“In the shadow of being handballed off to the FWC on Monday, they’ve said ‘enough is enough’,” he said.

“Please, talk to your police and intervene. Solve this dispute.”

Mr Gatt warned that comparatively low pay rates for Victoria’s cops could lead to an exodus of officers to other states.

A constable in Victoria makes about $75,000 a year, while a senior constable makes about $92,000.

By contrast, a constable in NSW makes about $110,000 a year following a recent pay bump from Premier Chris Minns’ government, and a senior constable makes about $146,000.

The strike, which will involve stop-work actions, marks the first industrial protest the police have taken in 25 years.

The pay dispute has been ongoing for 18 months.

The union wants a yearly 6 per cent pay bump over the next four years and new 8.5 hour shifts.

The government has offered a 16 per cent pay rise over the four-year period.

Despite the walk-off, Mr Gatt said there would be no impact on the community.

“Our members, they’ll stop work, but they will also stop stopping work if you call for urgent assistance,” he said.

“We give you that absolute commitment.”