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Overall there has been reasonable response to the Whanaungatanga Programme Wellbeing Survey but we would appreciate a greater participation rate to ensure the survey results are given the weight needed.
A very important piece of work requires your personal and our collective attention.
There are various inquiries established to look into the recent extreme weather events and the response by FENZ including FENZ reviews, Worksafe investigations and Coroners inquests.
The NZPFU has agreed to this week’s training commencing in Rotorua tomorrow (Tuesday 28 March 2023) on the following basis...
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Members are urged to ensure they complete the Movember-funded Whanaungatanga Programme Wellbeing Survey before it closes on the 30th March 2023.
The NZPFU advises its members that it is NOT in their interests to attend the specialist water response force training commencing in Rotorua next Tuesday 28 March 2023.
Whanaungatanga Programme lead and career firefighter Josh Darby and AUT’s Professor Grant Schofield joined NZPFU National Secretary Wattie Watson to explain the need for and content of the survey, and the value a high response rate will mean for our members and possibly other first responders internationally.
The NZPFU supports the NZEI and PPTA industrial action calling on Government to address critical issues in the education section including lowering the teacher to child ratios, recognising the importance of quality teaching through more staff, better support and fair pay.
The Movember-funded Whanaungatanga Programme Wellbeing Survey will be sent to all professional career firefighters and comms centre dispatchers on Thursday 9 March 2023.
In a decision released in August 2022 the Employment Relations Authority determined that NZPFU members working overtime on a public holiday must be paid 1.5 times that overtime rate as that is the rate for the calculation of the relevant daily pay.
The past few weeks have been extraordinarily taxing on NZPFU members responding to relentless emergency calls and challenging events at home including loss of homes, personal belongings, massive clean-ups and the tragic loss of family members, friends and colleagues.
NZPFU members from around the country have been contacting the Union to offer support to members who have been responding through the recent natural disasters. We have been asked to ensure our members working and living in the devastation left by Cyclone Gabrielle to know they are being supported from afar and we are beginning to understand the incredible sacrifices they have made. Your comrades and colleagues have been watching in awe and sadness as the news of devastated communities was broadcast throughout the country. For those who cannot be with you in person – we are with you in spirit!
A devastated family and community are reeling with the death of the second volunteer firefighter caught in a landslide in Muriwai.
Yesterday afternoon the battle to locate a volunteer firefighter trapped under a landslide concluded with the recovery of his body at Muriwai.
For a decade FENZ (and its predecessor NZFS) has known the Tauranga Fire Station only has an 18% NBS earthquake rating with firefighters accommodated in the proximity of the most compromised structural wall. For years the NZPFU Local has been battling for progress and relocation while the station is strengthened to at least the required 67% NBS or demolished and built on a suitable site. There have been other investigations including a 2020 visual assessment of the cracks in the building but FENZ has yet to act on the various recommendations.
Today FENZ has released an amended People Re-set consultation document that does not address key issues the NZPFU has raised with FENZ.
The Prime Minister today announced his new cabinet which includes a new Minister of Internal Affairs the Hon Barbara Edmonds.
The Auckland Local has been working hard to support our members that have been significantly affected by the weekend’s unprecedented storm and may well be facing more damage as the weather event persists this week. We understand that the extent of the damage and the long-term implications will not be realised until all properties have been assessed.
Applications can now be made for the Dr Sir John Te Ahikaiata Turei Memorial Grant funded by FENZ.
Last nights unprecedented weather event caused widespread havoc across the region with Fire and Emergency career and volunteer crews, operational support and 111 emergency dispatchers working to exhaustion, with all available FENZ resources at times being mobilised to incidents right across the region.
NZPFU members worked tirelessly throughout the night responding to the unprecedented flooding within the Auckland Region. More than 2000 calls slammed the emergency call centre dispatchers. All fire crews were deployed preforming rescues from homes and vehicles hampered by the torrential rain and rising flood waters making some roads and motorways unpassable.
The NZPFU National Committee and relevant FENZ representatives met over two days this week to implement the new provisions and processes agreed in the new 2021-2024 FENZ NZPFU collective employment agreement.
Members are advised that it is not in your interest to participate in FENZ’s Understanding the Support Provided to our Volunteers survey.
It is with great sadness that we inform NZPFU members of the passing of NZPFU Life Member Terry Scott.
Happy New Year! The last 18 months have been a mammoth effort by your national and local representatives and the membership. We hope everyone had some time off (even if only in between rostered hours) or has some time-off planned in the very near future to relax and unwind.
NZPFU members, locals and national representatives can finally relax as the ratification of the collective agreement also resolves the industrial action.
The Auckland Local wishes all members a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The Auckland Office will be closed from the afternoon of Friday 23 December 2022, reopening on Monday 9 January 2023.
On behalf of the Executive of the Northern Branch, we wish all members and their families a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
The NZPFU has become aware of FENZ offering “free personality assessments” from one of their “Partners” who are reportedly “introducing new psychology tools to the market”. The invitation is actually to take place in research and be part of data collection.
Due to the vote to ratify the collective agreement all current and proposed industrial action, including the omnibus of bans, now ceases from 0800 today.
NZPFU members turned out in force across the country to vote to accept the proposed settlement of the 2021-2024 collective agreement as recommended by the Union’s National Committee.
In August we notified members that the Employment Relations Authority had determined that firefighters working overtime on a public holiday must be paid 1.5 times the overtime rate as the overtime rate is the relevant daily pay.
As you will be well aware by now, we have finally reached an agreed term of settlement in the negotiation for a new CEA. The NZPFU is recommending members accept it and ratify the settlement offer. The National Committee has completely wrung out the sponge for every possible drop of benefit to members, and it's now our turn to act.
Christmas cheer may have come a little earlier for NZPFU members with the NZPFU National Committee today releasing and recommending ratification of a proposed settlement with FENZ. After 18 gruelling months of negotiations and six months of industrial action including all NZPFU members walking off the job twice, the NZPFU members have just received the detail of the proposed settlement that the NZPFU recommends members’ accept.
Currently all formal documentation is on track to be finalised and signed off in time for these ratification meetings. The NZPFU National office will send out the information on the proposed settlement to all members prior to Thursday so all members have the information at the same time and before the ratification meetings.
The NZPFU National Committee is pleased to report that all formal documentation is on track to be finalised and signed off in time for ratification meetings to commence later this week.
The NZPFU National Committee was satisfied this afternoon that the necessary agreements had been reached to cancel the strike scheduled for Monday 5 December 2022. We appreciate the preparation Locals had made for the hour of action but are also pleased the strike will not be needed.
The NZPFU and FENZ have continued to meet this week in a bid to settle the collective agreement negotiations. Progress has been made with movement from both parties. But a remaining few key matters are yet to be agreed.
NZPFU and FENZ representatives met on Monday afternoon in a bid to iron out the remaining unresolved issues in the bargaining.
Yesterday, members were advised that today’s (Friday) strike was cancelled as FENZ had provided a revised position on outstanding matters that demonstrated movement but not all matters for inclusion in the collective agreement were resolved.
The NZPFU has called off tomorrow’s strike (Friday 25 November) after receiving a revised position from FENZ late this afternoon. The omnibus of bans continues unaffected.
While reflecting on what I wanted to write in this blog I was reminiscing on my experience on the ILDC.
The NZPFU national committee determined today to cancel Monday’s strike while Government considers increasing the necessary funding to settle the collective agreement negotiations. The parties are asking the Government to increase the proposal it made a couple of weeks ago.
The parties made further progress at bargaining today but there is still funding to be arranged.
The NZPFU and Fire and Emergency have held two days of negotiations this week which has included an exchange of proposals and consideration of different modelling options that incorporated a proposed funding injection by Government.
The NZPFU and FENZ have been negotiating over the past two days and significant progress has been made but settlement is yet to be reached.
The NZPFU and FENZ met today for bargaining and discussions are continuing.
By the closing date for nominations for the position of Taupo Local Vice President, the following nomination has been received.
The NZPFU’s one-hour stoppage from 11am to 12 noon on Monday the 7th November 2022 has been withdrawn.
The Auckland Local Committee thanks it’s members for the mahi put in during this long process of industrial action.
The NZPFU has issued further strike notices with the first strike for 21 November 2022 to ensure the Union has the ability to take further action if necessary.
NZPFU members are advised to continue their duties and are not to stop work at 11am. The omnibus bans remain in place.
For the past three days the NZPFU National Committee, Local Officials and representatives of training, comms centre and part 4 members have been hosted by the Whangarei Local for the 34th Annual Conference.
Today the NZPFU and FENZ met for the first time since the release of the Graeme Colgan report. The parties discussed the application of the recommendations and principles.