Unions Call to De-Privatise

Unions and interest groups presented the Western Australian Parliament with a petition to end the privatisation of custodial transport services during a rally at Parliament House.

The petition of more than 1,000 signatures presented to Greens Member Alison Xamon called on the Government to “terminate the G4S contract; and return custodial transport to the public service to make it accountable to the WA people and Parliament.”

At the rally, the Deaths in Custody Watch Committee backed by the Western Australian Prison Officers Union, the Community and Public Sector Union WA and church groups protested the continued provision of prisoner transport by private companies and in particular G4S.

G4S has been under attack from action groups since 2008 when Aboriginal elder Mr Ward died of heatstroke in the back of a prison van on a journey from Laverton to Kalgoorlie.

In January this year WorkSafe WA laid charges against the Department of Corrective Services, G4S and two guards in relation to Mr Ward’s death. 

Corrective Services has been charged with not adequately maintaining the vehicle in which Mr Ward died and G4S with not having sufficient measures in place to ensure the safety for the transportation of persons in custody. If found guilty both Corrective Services and G4S face fines of up to $400,000.00.

In a statement, WorkSafe said; “[it] considered that a police investigation was more appropriate than a WorkSafe investigation because the charges and penalties available under their legislation were stronger and more appropriate.”

 

DICWC treasurer Seamus Doherty said that the fact G4S was never taken to task is “appalling” and that private vendors were not held to the same level of accountability as services provided by the public sector.

“It’s not that we’re promoting the internal system, it’s just that there’s accountability with the Government, and the people and elections if something goes really bad,” he said.

WAPOU secretary John Welch said that the privatisation of  a service inevitably leads to the decline in the quality of that service. “The culture of companies that put profits before service, shareholders before services means that inherently we’re going to have these sorts of problems,” he said.

Welch said quality of service is determined by interactions and not just performance indicators.

Welch maintains that the quality of the transport service provided by G4S is effecting the ability prison officer’ to perform their jobs, placing increased pressure on the prisons sector. “It’s not unusual for our members to have to pick up funeral escorts, escorts to hospitals, medical appointments because the service provider G4S is simply unable to.

“They don’t have the necessary staffing levels to provide those services, it puts pressure on what is an already overcrowded prison system,” he said.

Several impassioned speakers at the rally, including DICWC deputy chairperson Marianne Mackay and Pastor Geoffrey Stokes said the privatisation movement was making money from the misery and suffering of the people.

“It's blood money that these people are making as far as I’m concerned,” Pastor Stokes said.