| :: 15 May 2008 -
Newsletter to Members |
Alleged Officership Overpayment
Further to the last notice regarding alleged
Officership Allowance overpayments, it has become obvious that the Fire
Service are confused or have manipulated the amounts sought to be
repaid.
This is exactly the reason members have
been advised to carefully check the Fire Service proposals and why the
Union has sought for many years that any alleged over payment of wages
be itemised on members payslips.
The issues relating to the Unions concerns will be detailed in a further notice.
Given the latest discrepancies with the repayments sought for the alleged Officership Allowance overpayment the
Union recommends to members who may have commenced repayments or were
considering this to cease paying any further amounts until all of the
issues can be resolved with the Fire Service.
|
:: 8 May 2008 -
Newsletter to Members |
Close examination of the recent further demand from the Fire
Service for the repayment of an alleged over-payment of the
Officership Allowance is absolutely necessary.
The Union has sighted one such
letter, which contains the following extraordinary details:
|
Backdate Payment paid on 26 September |
Overpayment made (arrears) |
|
Contract Arrs O/Time/ALL (Total Backpay
Payment Paid
-consists of 1 and 2) |
1. Other Allowance Backpay (e.g. Overtime, other allowances) |
2. Officership Allowance Backpay Paid |
Correct Officership Allowance (i.e what should have been paid) |
Amount of
Officership Allowance Overpaid |
Tax on Officership Allowance Overpaid |
Nett Over Payment |
|
$100314 |
$100314 |
$100314 |
$100314 |
$100314 |
$100314 |
$100314 |
Obviously this is at the least, extremely confusing.
How does $100314 plus $100314 equal $100314?
If the Officership Allowance paid was $100314, and
the correct Officership Allowance was $100314, how come $100314 was
overpaid?
Isn’t 100% income tax somewhat excessive?
How would anyone be convinced after this outline
that $100314 was overpaid?
However, from the four options (the Fire Service add
them up to three options) the Fire Service kindly provide to repay
the alleged overpayment it is clear that the Fire Service believes
this officer was overpaid $100314.
And that causes a few other problems:
Option 1 – A one-off payment of $100314 from a
selected Pay Day. Presumably you would need to pick a Pay Day that
includes a fair bit of overtime.
Option 2 – A fortnightly regular deduction with a
minimum of $30 per fortnight. Not a bad option, but it will take
almost 129 years for the $30 per fortnight to repay the money.
It seems to the Union somewhat unlikely that anyone,
no matter how fit and healthy they might be could reasonably expect
to work for a further 129 years.
Option 3 – Cease payment of the Officership
Allowance until full recovery has been made. About as much use as
Option 2.
Option 4 – Deduct the amount from the PCA payment.
Obviously the PCA payment this year is going to be somewhat larger
than expected – by around 7000%
So the total letter demanding repayment is a
complete and total joke and given the alleged over-payment is
totally the fault of the Fire Service, the Union believes some care
and checking of this last correspondence was absolutely essential.
The Union supposes it may only be a coincidence that the officer in
question has a Brigade Number 100314 – if not then he is obviously
lucky his Brigade number doesn’t start with 5.
|
:: NZPFU
Launches Hamilton Firefighters Trust & Opens
On-line Condolence Book |
Hamilton
Firefighters Trust Established
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union has
kick-started the Hamilton Firefighters Trust fund with $20,000.
The Union formed the Charitable Trust to receive donations to
provide financial support and assistance to the families of those
killed or injured at the Tamahere fire.
NZPFU National Secretary Derek Best says that "this is a trust
established by firefighters for firefighters".
"Both the firefighters and their families directly involved in this
tragedy will need a wide range of support for many months, and
assistance from this trust will be of great help."
The Union established the Trust particularly to provide a formal
legal structure to dispense the funds received. The distribution of
funds collected will be determined by those best to know the areas
of need – Firefighters in Hamilton.
Union Opens On-line Condolence
Book
The Union has opened an on-line condolence book. You can
read the entries or send in your own condolence or tribute
here. Alternatively,
you may email your messages of condolence directly to
- Waikato Times photographer Mark Taylor was
among those paying tribute to fallen fireman Derek Lovell at the
Te Rapa Racecourse. His slideshow tribute is above. Click
here to open in a
new window. Thank you to Waikato Times for making
this available for members.
|
:: 28 April 2008 -
Pacific Languages Grant |
Pacific Languages Grant
Assistance for Students Learning Pacific Languages
Applications are now being accepted for the Pacific Languages
Grant. This grant is available to all personnel who are
contemplating or currently learning any Pacific language. The grant
is an initiative to enhance our organisation’s overall service
delivery capability to the community and will be offered to
applicants who would contribute to the ability of the New Zealand
Fire Service to work more effectively with the main Pasifika
speaking populations.
The grant will be available to assist with tuition fees,
resources and operational cover directly related to your course.
Please send applications in ‘free format’ style detailing your
course of learning to Beth Piggott, New Zealand Fire Service, P.O
Box 2133, Wellington, or email
beth.piggott@fire.org.nz
before 4pm on Friday 6th June, 2008 for consideration.
For further information, please contact SSO Sulu Devoe at
sulu.devoe@fire.org.nz
or Station Officer Esitone Pauga at
esitone.pauga@fire.org.nz
|
:: NZPFU Latest Local News
Feeds |
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NZPFU
Latest Local News Feeds
|
Auckland |
Wellington |
Christchurch |
May 6,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
Response to Region Notice 37/2008...
Read More |
April 7,
2008
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
To the Officers and Fire-fighters Of the Hamilton Local...
Read More |
March
7, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: National
Clarifies Worker Rights Policy...
Read More |
April 23,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
McERLICH / MANAGEMENT...
Read More |
January 24,
2008
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Special General Meeting, SO Vacancy Karori, Section 66 Policy,
Paraparaumu Staffing Issues...
Read More |
February
7, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Urgent Action
Report...
Read More |
March 30,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
WARNING TO MEMBERS - Impersonating Firefighters...
Read More |
December 13, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Paraparaumu staffing update...
Read More |
December 14, 2007
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Christmas
greetings...
Read More |
January 30,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
Electrical Safety of Type 4 and Type 5 Bronto Appliances...
Read More |
November 1, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
PCA, Watch Reps & Vegetation Fires...
Read More |
December 12, 2007
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Notification to
Rosters when applying for an ALT Leave day...
Read More |
January 29,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
Voluntary Courses Dispute...
Read More |
October 9, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Station OIC's...
Read More |
|
January 25,
2008
Auckland Local Notice to Members:
Mercedes Bronto Type 5 Appliance...
Read More |
October 2, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Maintaining MSM & Conference Remits...
Read More |
|
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:: Check out all our
NZPFU News pages... |
|
:: How the NZPFU can benefit
you |
-
Coverage by the collective agreement
-
Representation and advocacy in all matters
relating to and arising out of employment
-
Representation and advocacy on behalf of career
firefighters with central Government and agencies, the NZ Council
of Trade Unions and the wider trade union movement including
international forums
-
Limited provision of Group Life/Total and Partial Disability
Insurance
-
Nominations of members' representatives as
trustees onto the NZFS Superannuation Scheme
What else?
The NZPFU is a key partner with the Fire Service in delivering the Fire
Service's strategic vision of reducing the incidence and consequence of fire and
to provide a professional response to other emergencies.
More information:
NZPFU representatives are based on all career
fire stations. There are also 19 Union
Locals in the major metropolitan and principal centres where career firefighters are employed.
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