Northland's only paid firefighters took strike action today as negotiations with Fire and Emergency NZ stalled. Photo / Brodie Stone
Northland's only paid firefighters took strike action today as negotiations with Fire and Emergency NZ stalled. Photo / Brodie Stone
Northland’s only paid firefighters walked off the job today in protest at what they say is a poor pay offer made worse by increased workload and continuing problems with fire engines.
Fire and Emergency NZ offered a 5.1% pay increase over the next three years, and says a revisedoffer is ready to go if additional strike action is called off.
Fifteen months of negotiations stalled today when New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) members pushed back against the initial offer.
About 50 firefighters gathered at the intersection of Hātea Drive and Dent St in Whangārei, and waved banners with messages such as, “delay could be deadly”.
Among the beeps from supportive motorists, senior firefighter Reuben Otto said there was a lot of anxiety for members walking off the job.
“We all live in this community and to leave it unprotected for that hour is scary, but the reality is that it’s regularly unprotected whether it’s through staffing shortages or whether it’s through a lack of functioning appliances.”
Fire and Emergency deputy national commander Megan Stiffler dismissed the argument, saying there was a network of trucks that moved around the country.
Otto said that, after 14 years with Fire and Emergency, “We’re wearing pretty much very similar equipment, riding the same trucks, doing the same job ... where are we moving forward?”
Whangārei NZPFU president Paul Ballentine said the decision to strike was a last resort.
“Hopefully, it will motivate Fenz to come back with a fair and reasonable offer.”
Firefighters walked off the job for an hour today, calling for better pay, support and appliances. Photo / Reuben Otto
An increased workload had members doing long hours, particularly as they were often asked to cover volunteer stations, he said.
He felt the pay offer was simply not enough.
“Some of our staff are on the lowest base rates for the whole of Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
He said the Whangārei station’s hazmat command unit had been off the road for the past three days because of a broken part.
Stiffler said it was disappointing that strike action had been taken, considering there was a revised offer ready to go.
She said NZPFU members had taken strike action before the offer could be brought to the table, and encouraged members to return “without the threat to public endangerment”.
Fire and Emergency needed to carefully balance sustainable public spending with a reasonable offer.
A lot of work had been done since Fire and Emergency was formed in 2017.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen an increase in the volume of trucks. Things are moving,” she said.
The organisation was looking at improving health monitoring and other prevention systems.
She urged members to return to negotiations and call off additional strike action planned for October 31.
“I want to see our firefighters get this settled because they can get on and do the job they do best.”
The Employment Relations Authority has granted urgency to Fire and Emergency’s application for facilitation, with mediation required before October 28.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
