QFF Progression Dispute

The Employment Relations Authority held the Investigation Meeting regarding this dispute in Wellington on 15 April.

The Authority reserved its decision but gave a preliminary indication that:

• It was unlikely that any agreement had been made;
• That the employer’s interpretation of the Progression Clause (essentially that all progression requirements needed to be completed before progression and that the consequent pay increase only take place once all these requirements were met) was likely to be upheld.

The Authority has indicated a decision would be put on hold until after Easter to see if the parties are able to resolve the matter by discussion.

This discussion is occurring and progress is being made – but some matters are quite technical and require close legal scrutiny.

The Union is very hopeful that these discussions will result in a jointly acceptable outcome.

ACC Consent Form

In the light of the recent ruling about the validity and the use of the ACC Consent Forms, the Union has raised the implications of this ruling to the form the Fire Service uses.

The Fire Service has accepted there are issues that need to be addressed and are working to:

• Amend the form as necessary;
• Consider the way in which the form is used – information collected and used.

The Fire Service has agreed to discuss with the Union the updated/redrafted form and its use.

If any members believe they have been disadvantaged by the previous interpretation/application or the use of the form, please advise this office.