Staff members at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre in Canberra are reportedly victims of a “severe and systemic” pattern of underpayment, according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). The union claims that the ACT government has failed to address these ongoing issues, which have left employees unpaid for significant amounts of time.
Workers are required to be present for their shifts at either 8:15 AM or 8:15 PM, yet they are compensated solely for the subsequent 12-hour shifts. This arrangement does not account for the time needed to pass through security, don their uniforms, and walk to their posts—a process that takes approximately seven minutes. The CPSU noted that this prep time was previously acknowledged on employees’ pay slips, but has since been omitted.
The union has documented numerous pay slips indicating that some staff at Bimberi have accrued more than 480 unpaid hours, which amounts to over 12 weeks of full-time work. CPSU regional secretary Maddy Northam criticized the government’s lack of action, stating that, “What we’ve uncovered here is severe and systemic underpayment of people who work for the ACT government.”
Northam emphasized the personal toll this underpayment has had on workers: “Some of our members have accrued more than 400 hours of unpaid work. That’s 400 hours they weren’t with their families, 400 hours they worked for free, 400 hours the ACT government exploited their dedication to young people at Bimberi.”
In response, an ACT government spokesperson acknowledged the concerns raised by the CPSU, stating that the public service is actively examining the issues. The spokesperson highlighted the critical role of youth workers at Bimberi in assisting vulnerable young people, noting, “The government expects all workers to be paid in full and on time. When discrepancies are found, they should be worked through and rectified as soon as practical.”
The spokesperson also assured that the ACT government is committed to collaborating with the CPSU to resolve the matter. Nonetheless, skepticism remains among union members regarding the government’s commitment to addressing these longstanding pay issues.
In a related context, the CPSU previously pointed out that low staffing levels at Bimberi contribute to a range of significant concerns identified by the ACT National Preventive Mechanism, an oversight body. Despite these claims, a government representative asserted that the centre is appropriately staffed for the current number of young people in detention, citing two recruitment rounds held each year.
The ACT National Preventive Mechanism’s report indicated that the “significant and sustained” increase in the number of young people in detention has strained Bimberi’s ability to uphold the rights and well-being of those detained.
As the situation unfolds, the focus remains on the ACT government to rectify these pay discrepancies and ensure fair treatment of its employees, particularly those serving in critical roles within the youth justice system.
