Absence Management

Over some considerable time, the Fire Service has developed a new Absence Management Policy.

The Policy and Procedures are intended to provide guidance to assist these who may have higher than expected absence levels.

Fundamental to the introduction of the new Policy/Procedure is the training/education of particularly Officers. It is agreed that this training must occur on a joint Union/Management basis in all Localities before being implemented.

The purpose of the Policy is to assist, to attempt to discover reasons as to why unusual or unexpected absences are occurring and to attempt to mitigate any causes.

So until the joint training is undertaken and completed the new Policy cannot be implemented.

FENZ Transition Office

The Union is pleased to see that FENZ are seeking applications from Operational Officers to work in the Transition Office.

The Union sees there is an urgent need for Operational input at that level and the FENZ Transition Office have responded to our concerns by advertising these positions.

So the Union sees the filling of these positions as critical to the development of an Organisation that on 1 July next year will be able to effectively function and to counter the massive amount of misinformation and misleading information that the FENZ Transition Office is being flooded with.