Police and picket lines
Don’t scab for the bosses
Don’t listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance
Unless we organize
Which Side Are You on by Florence Patton
A picket line is when striking workers form a line or a visible presence outside of the workplace. They create a physical choice for people: which side of the line are you on?
Police have no responsibility for the removal of a picket line but may act to remove a physical obstruction.
According to Victoria Police operating procedures, a picket line becomes a physical obstruction when it denies access to or egress from the particular location to any person who has a legal right (which can be anybody on a public street) to enter or leave.
Victoria Police have an Industrial Disputation Liaison Officer in the Community and Cultural Division who is brought in to liaise and advise on industrial disputes and union pickets.
