Members may have seen a whole of country e‐mail from Janine Hearn dated Monday 24th January 2011. This email refers to the current negotiations between the Union and the NZFS. While our Notice to Members dated 21st January did state that the negotiations had broken down, we did say that further information would be supplied this week.
The Union and Fire Service representatives met again on 20 January 2011 (for a fifth day of negotiations).
The Union has been provided with a copy of a letter sent by the Director of Human Resources, Janine Hearn, to members in relation to the overpayment dispute of the officership allowance.
On behalf of the Executive of the Northern Branch, we wish all members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
The Union Head Office will be closed from midday today until January 11th 2011.
This year, Christmas Day and New Yearfs Day fall on a Saturday and Boxing Day and the day after New Yearfs Day fall on a Sunday. These days are prescribed as Public Holidays.
The Executive and Committee of the Auckland Local wish all members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
There have been numerous concerns conveyed to the Union Committee regarding the introduction and operation of many aspects of the HazMat Decontamination Corridor.
A number of concerns have been identified by Locals over the introduction of the Hazmat/Command Units.
The Union has put a proposition to the Fire Service that would enable the Ban to be lifted.
Ban – C.F.B.T. – Heat Source After receiving a report from the Dunedin Local and subsequent discussions, Conference 2010 resolved:
The Union met with the Regional Management Team on Wednesday 20 October to further discuss the proposed deployment of the allocated Hazmat/Command vehicles for the Auckland Region.
The Union and Members express their sympathy and support for the two injured Firefighters – Sam Julian and Graham Hill, injured last week in Taranaki.
Further News from our Global Alliance Partners Further to information as in NTM No. 25 – 8 October, below is a Press Release from the F.B.U. of the UK.
The Fire service has advised the Union of the intention to offer this survey for middle and senior managers – it will also be offered to Station Officers and Senior Station Officers on a voluntary basis.
The following Newsletter from the FBU of the U.K.
Further to Newsletter No. 23 of 27 September 2010.
The Dunedin Local advises of three further S.S.Os who have received disciplinary action for acting as Health & Safety Champions regarding the Diesel Fumes issue:
Three Further Fire Service Health & Safety Champions Further to the advice in Newsletter No.21 of 27 August 2010.
I just wanted to pass on to all members how awesome your continuing response has been towards this disaster.
Members will be aware of the significant earthquake in Canterbury over the weekend, and the commitment of Auckland Firefighters to the area.
Members are advised that the Auckland Local Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 6 September 2010.
The Union has filed with Mike Hall, Personal Grievances on behalf of S.S.Os who have received warnings for acting to protect their and their crews’ Health and Safety from the dangers of Diesel Fumes. The S.S.Os are:
This round of Local Officials elections has seen a number of long‐standing officials not standing for re‐election.
Members are advised that the Auckland Local Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 6 September 2010.
The Auckland Local wishes to advise members that the Annual General Meeting is scheduled for later this month. We will advise the date and location of the meeting shortly, but please start thinking about remits to go to the National Conference, especially regarding the upcoming contract negotiations and any other matters you wish to have considered.
A previous Newsletter advised the Union had sought information regarding the secondment of Larry Cocker to the position of H.R. Projects Manager.
Results of Ballot Auckland Local Vice President As per the attached Ballot Declaration Form, I hereby declare:
Some misunderstanding has arisen about Newsletter No. 16 – 29 June 2010.
Members will be aware by now of the Fire Service’s proposal to commence “Home Fire Safety Checks”.
The Auckland Local Committee have for some considerable time now been in discussions with the Auckland management of the Fire Service regarding the staffing of new stations at Te Atatu. More recently these discussions have included the staffing at Otara and the deployment of the new Hazmat/Command appliances. These meetings have also included the attendance of the Union Council at various times.
Available on the NZPFU website is a Radio Live transcript of an interview with Asst. National Commander Bill Butzbach regarding “Reduced Responses to Sprinklered Buildings” and the unequivocal guarantee from him that such a policy will not adversely affect the New Zealand public.
Members will be aware that the Fire Service has recently, in several locations, accused members of refusing to carry out instructions. This was in relation to the parking of appliances outside of Fire Stations due the Fire Service’s reluctance to put exhaust extraction systems into some Fire Stations throughout New Zealand.
Some members will be aware that FRM Butt has completely disregarded the discussions which have been held with the Auckland Local over the placement of staff at Te Atatu, and more recently, Otara Stations.
"Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy has told the New Zealand Fire Service Commission to get extractor systems into all Stations and do it quickly”.
The Union refers to the common Notices put out last week by Regional Managers.
Members will, by now, have seen Newsletter to Members # 11 dated 30 April 2010.
After considerable discussion over the past 18 months regarding issues surrounding predominantly Black Watch members in the Bay-Waikato Fire Region and their incorrect payment of wages and allowances, i.e. Part 2 versus Part 4 of the CEA as detailed in Northern Branch Notice 23rd February 2010, the Northern Branch advises that we have reached a position with Fire Service Management which allows the Northern Branch to remove our action of requesting operational staff to decline undertaking activities, i.e. BA revalidations, that would have been done by VSO's outside of their normal hours of work.
In accordance with the Rules of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union, nominations are hereby called for the following positions:
As a consequence of Tuesday’s stop work meeting, members claimed they were not aware of Notice to Members Ref. ALC-09-96 dated 15 July 2009.
Further to Newsletter No. 10 – 16 April.
Following a General Meeting of the Auckland Local today, the Committee advises that the make up of the Local Committee for the upcoming Triennial Elections will be as follows:
Attached is a self‐explanatory letter from the Union to Mike Hall which seeks the information that he presumably based his decision to cut responses to Sprinklered Buildings.
Members are advised that a General Meeting of the Auckland Local will be held on Tuesday 27 April at 1000 hours.
The Union is advised that this breakdown will be provided to members within the next couple of weeks. Initially, the Fire Service had intended to provide this by electronic means, but for whatever reason, this has not proved possible.
After a number of meetings and extensive discussions, the Union and the Fire Service have reached agreement over O.S.M.
The Northern Branch (particularly in Bay-Waikato) has been made aware of concerns Black Watch staff (VSO's) have, over the ongoing training of Volunteers i.e. BA revalidations etc.
The Fire Service has advised the Union that all Regions now return to the status quo position regarding minimum payments for call-outs for Black Watch workers. It became apparent by the end of last week that the only Regions continuing to resist this position were Transalpine and Auckland.
Black Watch Workers – Minimum 3 Hour Payment For Call-Outs Further to yesterday’s Newsletter No. 5, there have been further discussions between the Union and Fire Service management.
Arising out of a dispute in the Southern Region and concerning on-call roster arrangements for Fire Safety Officers, Southern Region management decided that Part 4 (Black Watch workers) were not entitled to a minimum 3 hour payment for any call-outs.
A Dispute has recently arisen in the Southern Region relating to two unilateral decisions by management (at some level), to overturn longstanding and agreed arrangements.
Newsletter No. 2 - 26 January 2010 details the Union’s concerns about the Fire Service’s unacceptable delay in paying new wage rates and allowances.