THIS IS AN ORGANISING ISSUE
Updated: Sep 16
There is an old principle in worker advocacy that remains as relevant today as ever:
One employee has a problem. One hundred employees have an issue. One thousand organised employees have a voice.
That is what QPOA intends to build.
We do not want prison officers sitting at home individually trying to decipher years of payroll records while wondering whether everyone else is experiencing the same problem.
We want to identify the patterns. We want to understand the scale. We want officers talking to each other. We want information coming back from centres across Queensland.
We want current officers, former officers, medically retired officers, and retired officers who have been affected to come forward. We want QCS to understand that prison officers are capable of organising around workplace issues that directly affect them.
Why Membership Matters
An association is only as strong as the people prepared to stand behind it.
QPOA can publish articles.
We can ask questions.
We can advocate.
We can raise concerns.
But a growing membership allows us to do considerably more. Every new member tells decision-makers:
Prison officers are paying attention.
Every new member strengthens our ability to identify common problems occurring across different correctional centres.
Every new member increases the collective voice behind requests for transparency, accountability, and practical solutions.
And every new member helps rebuild an organisation focused specifically on the employment interests of Queensland prison officers.
This overpayment situation represents an opportunity for officers to demonstrate what collective organisation actually means. It is not simply about joining when you personally need something. It is about building an organisation sufficiently strong that when the next major workplace issue arises, prison officers already have a structure capable of responding.
WHAT QPOA WANTS TO DO
As information continues to come in, QPOA wants to develop a clearer picture of the overpayment issue across Queensland. This includes identifying recurring issues such as:
The periods for which repayment is being sought
The types of payments involved
Whether similar calculations are being used across different centres
Problems obtaining historical records
Discrepancies between rosters, leave, and payroll records
Unreasonable or unaffordable proposed repayment arrangements
Cases involving former or retired employees
Possible corresponding underpayments
The adequacy of explanations being provided to employees
Broader concerns about how the payroll problem was allowed to accumulate
Where consistent patterns emerge, they can form the basis for collective advocacy rather than isolated individual complaints.
That is how organising works.
You collect evidence.
You identify patterns.
You establish common concerns.
You build membership.
You develop a position.
And then you advocate from a position of collective strength.
HAVE YOU RECEIVED AN OVERPAYMENT NOTICE?
If QCS has contacted you claiming that you have been overpaid, do not panic and do not simply assume the calculation is correct. Before agreeing to a repayment arrangement, consider obtaining and retaining:
The complete calculation of the alleged overpayment
The relevant pay periods
Payslips
Leave records
Rosters
Timesheets
Payroll adjustment records
Correspondence concerning the alleged overpayment
Details of any proposed repayment arrangement
QPOA and MYUNION have previously encouraged affected employees to carefully examine the basis of an alleged overpayment before entering a repayment arrangement. (MYUNION)
Your circumstances may also help us understand whether what appears to be an individual problem is occurring repeatedly across the workforce.
$1 A DAY CAN BUILD A VERY POWERFUL VOICE
QPOA General Membership is $30 per month — approximately $1 per day. General Membership includes up to 10 hours of employment advocacy support each membership year, together with member resources, workplace information, and other membership benefits, subject to the applicable membership terms and scope of service.
Membership can provide access to assistance concerning matters such as:
Disciplinary and misconduct processes
Workplace investigations
Performance management
Bullying and harassment
Discrimination
Employment and industrial relations issues
Workplace correspondence
Document review
Case strategy and planning
Workplace resources and updates
But right now, membership has another purpose. It gives prison officers the numbers needed to build a serious collective organisation. For approximately $1 per day, you can help build an association prepared to focus specifically on the workplace issues affecting Queensland prison officers.
DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU NEED US
One of the biggest challenges facing worker organisations is that people often wait until something goes wrong before deciding they need representation.
By then, the disciplinary letter has arrived.
The show cause notice has been issued.
The investigation has commenced.
The payroll demand has landed.
The employment relationship has deteriorated.
Organising works differently.
You build the organisation before the crisis.
You build membership.
You establish delegates and contacts.
You identify issues early.
You share information.
You educate members.
You develop organisational knowledge.
And when a major workplace issue emerges, you are ready. The QCS overpayment situation demonstrates exactly why that matters.
HELP US BRING THIS ISSUE TO A HEAD
We have received enough enquiries to know that this issue deserves closer scrutiny. Now we need affected officers to come forward.
If you have received an alleged QCS overpayment notice, contact us. If your workmate has received one, send them this article. If officers at your centre are talking about it, start the conversation. And if you believe Queensland prison officers deserve an independent, organised, and determined employment advocacy voice:
JOIN MYUNION QPOA.
Not next year. Not when you receive a show cause notice. Not when something happens to you personally. Join now and help build it.
QPOA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP — $30 PER MONTH
Around $1 per day. Help us turn hundreds of individual workplace concerns into one organised voice. Stronger membership means stronger advocacy.
JOIN NOW
Queensland Prison Officers Association — Powered by MYUNION
gethelp@myunion.au | 1300MYUNION | www.myunion.au
Important Information
This article provides general workplace information and is intended to encourage discussion and collective employment advocacy concerning issues affecting Queensland corrective services employees. Individual overpayment matters depend upon their particular facts, employment arrangements, records, and applicable instruments.
QPOA and MYUNION provide professional employment and human rights advocacy and workplace representation where permitted. We are not lawyers and do not provide legal services or legal advice. Membership benefits and individual advocacy assistance are subject to the applicable membership terms, eligibility requirements, and scope of service. Joining QPOA does not guarantee any particular outcome in relation to an individual overpayment claim.