This election is clearly going to be a tight race. The outcome will have significant implications for firefighters.
The only hard evidence anyone has to judge the real intentions of the various Parties is to look at their recent track record.
Firefighters only need to look at the last 15 years of their experience to make this assessment
Don’t forget what happened –
Who was the government when the Employment Contracts Act was introduced? - National
Who was the government during the ten years of the 1990s wage freeze? – National
Who was the government when CSTs were introduced in 1996? – National
Who was the government when all Firefighters were sacked in 1998? – National
Who was the government that appointed Roger Estall and Doug Martin? – National
Who was the government that supported the Estall/Martin intention to slash Firefighter numbers and crew trucks with 3 or even 2 Firefighters? – National
Who was the government when a Collective Agreement was finally agreed in 2001? Labour
Who was the government when D1 and CSTs were integrated into the Firefighters workforce? – Labour
Who was the government that committed to 4 person crewing of appliances? – Labour
Who was the government when the new Holidays Act was passed that allowed the Union to win its Days in Lieu case? – Labour
Who was the government that repealed the Employment Contracts Act and replaced it with the Employment Relations Act, which allowed Unions to again properly represent their members? – Labour
The record is crystal clear. Firefighters will be better off with Labour.
