Win for Banksia Hill Youth Custodial Officers

Youth Custodial Officers (YCOs) at Banksia Hill have won back their right to have time spent in the gate house counted towards their ordinary hours of work.

With the help of the union, members have successfully challenged an instruction that saw them losing at least forty minutes per day of paid time.

Historically, Youth Custodial Officers have started their shift at the gate house where they sign-in and collect keys. They also pass through the gate house at end-of-shift.

It is an important part of their day that ensures their safety, the safety of their coworkers and the young people in the center, but the employer was attempting to deny them the right to count this as paid time.

Random security checks also take place in the gate house, which can increase the time it takes for them to pass through by a further 20 to 40 minutes.

If the centre goes into lockdown during a shift change then it can be hours.

When the employer announced that time spent in the gate house would no longer be counted towards their ordinary working hours, a group of YCOs contacted the union.

We contacted the employer and after a short period of negotiation they acknowledged the right of Youth Custodial Officers to have time spent in the gate house included in their ordinary hours of work.