South Australia courts close amid escalating dispute over correctional services pay

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Corrections and home detention officers along with court sheriffs will return to work tomorrow in South Australia after days of strike action. The public service association remains in negotiations with its members and the state government over demands for higher pay. The court sheriffs joined the industrial action today forcing courts across Adelaide to close.

Transcript

00:00For 24 hour work stoppage, everyone in a favour please raise your hands.

00:07Court is not in session. These Sheriff's officers are essential to keep the place of justice safe,

00:14but on Thursday they stopped work, forcing the closure of five major metropolitan courts.

00:20We're facing hazardous, dangerous situation. We're dealing with people who are in custody,

00:27so situations is very unpredicted and anything can happen anytime.

00:31In my time as a barrister and lawyer, it's never happened where the courts have completely shut down the way it has today.

00:38It's unprecedented. It's chaos.

00:40The Sheriffs join prison workers whose industrial action prompted a fourth day of lockdowns at seven prisons,

00:46demanding fairer pay for what they say is a dangerous job.

00:50Corrections worker Craig Bates says his colleague was assaulted so badly by a prisoner

00:55she had to get metal plates in her face.

00:58And for $58,000 a year? That's not okay.

01:02The Public Service Association is seeking a 20% pay rise over 18 months,

01:07claiming it'll bring salaries in line with inflation.

01:10The Premier says he wants to give workers a real wage increase, but says there are limits to what he can offer.

01:16We're not going to allow our budget position to become like some of our Eastern State counterparts

01:23that have got the budget in a far more precarious position.

01:26The opposition urging the government to seal a deal.

01:29We've got the criminal justice system basically grinding to a halt.

01:33That's not good for the workers. It's not good for the people of South Australia.

01:37After hours of negotiations between PSA members and the government,

01:42corrections in home detention offices and court sheriffs will return to work on Friday.

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