Western Australian police are to receive an immediate pay rise to help support officers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Premier, Mark McGowan said the pay rise would help ensure police remained focused on the task at hand during the State’s response to the pandemic.
“The union’s members supported the deal in a ballot, where there was a strong 66 per cent turnout and 62 per cent voted to support the deal,” Mr McGowan said.
“This follows the announcement that up to 20 days of paid leave will be available to all public sector workers in response to COVID-19.”
He said the State Government and Police Union were currently seeking to resolve a broader industrial agreement through the Industrial Relations Commission.
“This payment will form part of the final agreement,” the Premier said.
“Our respected, hard-working police deserve this pay rise, which is why my Government has decided to backdate the pay to 1 July, 2019 when the last agreement expired.”
Minister for Industrial Relations, Bill Johnston said the coming weeks and months would be tough, which was why police deserved this immediate financial boost to assist them during the challenging time.
“It’s more important than ever that our crucial public sector continues to operate effectively,” Mr Johnston said.
