Thousands of Queensland child-safety and youth-justice workers have held a protected work stoppage as negotiations over pay and conditions continue.
Workers stopped for about two-and-a-half hours on Friday afternoon. The Together Union has been negotiating a new agreement with the state government since March and has taken protected industrial action since August.
The union said some officers manage caseloads of 30 or more children against an agreed safe level of about 16, and that more than 100 child-safety positions remain vacant. Those figures are union claims reported by ABC News.
A Department of Child Safety spokesperson said the government had made an offer, was bargaining in good faith and had continuity plans to protect critical services. Employees used air mattresses at MPs' offices to draw attention to reports of children sleeping in government offices while awaiting suitable placements.
Source: ABC News report carrying union and department responses.
Image disclosure: The featured image is an AI-generated conceptual editorial illustration. The people and location shown are fictional and do not depict the reported stoppage.
