Northern Branch Officials Mike McEnaney and Athol Conway have met with Regional Management for Auckland and have been able to reach a suitable agreement regarding Management’s commitment to ensuring at all times Minimum Shift Manning will be maintained.
Regional Manager McGill has given a full undertaking to Branch Officials as part of the agreement that there will be absolutely no reason why any appliance in Auckland will not have its full compliment of one Officer and three Firefighters or one Officer and one Firefighter as appropriate, because of an Hours of Work issue.
The only reason that Minimum Shift Manning will be compromised is if insufficient Officers or Firefighters in Auckland wish to return to work to maintain their own standards of Health and Safety with regards to staff numbers.
The Union will ensure that our members enter fully into the spirit of the agreement and in doing so, accept the requirements of the Hours of Work Policy but fully accept also the clear intention of Regional Management.
The Union will ensure that Rosters’ staff are more formally briefed as to the process to be undertaken when calling back staff for Minimum Shift Manning vacancies.
Given that the agreement has been reached, the Union now sees no impediment as to why members should not apply for the recently advertised Deputy District Chief Fire Officer positions in the Auckland Brigade.
The Union also notes, for members’ information, that the acceptance of this agreement by Management exists on the premise that it is not Management’s intention to compromise the Health and Safety of staff by reducing Minimum Shift Manning on appliances.
Members will also be aware that there is currently a Working Party dealing with the broader issues of Hours of Work and Fatigue Management. Today’s agreement will need to be seen in the context of whatever outcomes the Working Party may finally reach.
