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:: Newsletter to
Members - 1 July 2009 |

Collective Agreement Negotiations
Breakdown
The Union has filed
Notice of Strike Action today.
The nature of the
strike is a ban on the use of any computer keyboard or computer
mouse by any Union member employed in the South Island of New
Zealand other than Union members employed at the Southern
Communications Centre.
The strike will
commence at 0800 hours on 16 July 2009 and will conclude at 0800
hours on 23 July 2009.
The strike will be
continuous.
The strike will
occur at all Fire Stations, Regional Offices and Training Centres in
the South Island of New Zealand (but excluding the Southern
Communications Centre).
Local officials
will discuss all matters relating to the strike action with National
Committee members before strike action commences.
The intention is
that a similar Notice of Strike Action will be issued for the week
commencing 23 July 2009 for all members in the North Island.
Please direct any
queries to members of the Union Committee.
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:: Newsletter to
Members - 26 June 2009 |
Collective Agreement
The offer, as
approved by the Fire Service Commission, has been fully considered
by the Union Committee.
Full details of the offer, including the specific proposed wording
are available for download.

The Union Committee
has unanimously resolved to reject the offer.
Most items in the
offer are self-explanatory. However, some clarification follows:
-
Point (e) Sick
Leave
The three principal changes are:
-
Changing Sick Leave
entitlements from Consecutive Days (28 per year) to Working Days (12
per year – rising to 14 per year after 14 year’s service).
-
Absence for a
part-day to be deducted on a pro rata rate basis.
-
Accumulation of
Sick Leave to 180 days.
Clearly this is
potentially a significant reduction in Sick Leave entitlement.
-
Allowances/Payments
Removed
Point (g)-Shift Allowance for Overtime
Point (i)-Payment of Bank Fees/Cheques
-
Point
(j)-Incorporation of SM.S. Principles into Part 2 of the Collective
Agreement with significant removals from that presently included
e.g. Consultation and Partnership.
-
Point (k)-Removal
of Trainees from coverage of the Collective Agreement
This has the effect of removing the ability of the Union to
negotiate wages and conditions of employment for Trainees and would
create significant difficulties in representing Trainees either
individually or collectively in any Dispute that may arise.
For the Fire
Service to propose that they should have a completely free hand to
impose wages (if any?) and whatever conditions on the Union’s most
vulnerable members is completely unacceptable.
As a consequence of
the rejection of the offer, the Committee is finalizing details of
Industrial Action. The Action to be initially implemented will allow
an escalation of the impact of the Action if that is necessary.
Details, including
the commencement date of the intended Action, will be advised to
members early next week.
Please contact
Committee members if any further clarification is required.
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:: Newsletter to
Members - 26 June 2009 |
Response - Sprinklered Buildings
The
Union is strongly opposed to the intention to significantly reduce
the PDA to Sprinklered Buildings to, in almost all cases, two pumps.
This is
a very poorly thought out and foolhardy move and is being made for
little apparent and justifiable reasons. It is outstandingly
negligent that resources provided by the community are required to
remain idle when there is an inevitability that they will be
critically required at a Sprinklered Building incident.
The
Health and Safety of firefighters and the public are being
unnecessarily put at risk and operational efficiency significantly
impaired.
In those
areas affected, Locals will be asked to write to building owners
where reduced turnout is applied to advise them of the effect of
such a reduction.
The
Union will be pursuing this with the Fire Service.
The
Union is aware that members have been directed to carry out a
re-assessment of Sprinklered Buildings using the new criteria which
is designed to reduce turnouts.
Members are advised not to undertake this work.
For
Business Plans to be amended to include this new work, there must be
extensive consultation with affected members. Management cannot
unilaterally alter Business Plans objectives, reports, or impose
targets.
As well,
this reduced turnout position arises out of NRAM work. NRAM is a
means to facilitate and agree on the development of a
National Resource Allocation Model.
This
reduction in turnouts has never been consulted on let alone agreed.
Both
procedures for amending Business Plans and the need to agree NRAM
outcomes are contained in the Collective Agreement.
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:: Newsletter to
Members - 10 June 2009 |
Returning Officer's Notice to Members
Triennial Elections
Union Council
Further to the Returning
Officer’s NTM of 4 June 2009. And further to yesterday’s (9 June
2009) Returning Officer’s NTM -
Following the withdrawal of
Boyd Raines’ nomination for the position of President, and Athol
Conway’s nomination for the position of Vice President, the revised
list of Nominees is:
PRESIDENT:
CONWAY, ATHOL
WARNER, STEPHEN
VICE PRESIDENT:
FITZMAURICE, DENIS
HALLETT, PETER
RAINES, BOYD
SINGLE, BRENT
SECRETARY:
BEST, DEREK
Ian Wright
Acting National Returning Officer.
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:: NZPFU Latest Local News
Feeds |
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NZPFU
Latest Local News Feeds
|
Auckland |
Wellington |
Christchurch |
June 12, 2009
Auckland Local Notice to Members: Section 66 Appointments...
Read More |
February
16, 2009
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Read More |
February
27, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Notification of
Stop Work Meeting - Industrial Action...
Read More |
June 10, 2009
Auckland Local Notice to Members: Risk Based Response to Sprinklered
Building Events...
Read More |
November 1,
2008
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Urgent Special Meeting and E-Mail Campaign...
Read More |
October
28, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Appointment of
Ross Ditmer and Mark Boere...
Read More |
June
4, 2009
Media Release: Fire Service to Reduce Appliance Responses to Downtown
Auckland High Risk Buildings...
Read More |
April 7,
2008
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
To the Officers and Fire-fighters Of the Hamilton Local...
Read More |
July
1, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Notice to
Members - Funding...
Read More |
May
22, 2009
Northern Branch Notice to Members: Entitlements for Staff Attending
Fire Service Training Courses...
Read More |
January 24,
2008
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Special General Meeting, SO Vacancy Karori, Section 66 Policy,
Paraparaumu Staffing Issues...
Read More |
March
7, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: National
Clarifies Worker Rights Policy...
Read More |
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March 9, 2009
Auckland Local Notice to Members: Change of Meeting Time...
Read More |
December 13, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
Paraparaumu staffing update...
Read More |
February
7, 2008
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Urgent Action
Report...
Read More |
March 4, 2009
Auckland Local Notice to Members: Special Meeting of Members...
Read More |
November 1, 2007
Wellington Local Notice to Members:
PCA, Watch Reps & Vegetation Fires...
Read More |
December 14, 2007
Christchurch Local Notice to Members: Christmas
greetings...
Read More |
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:: Check out all our
NZPFU News pages... |
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:: How the NZPFU can benefit
you |
-
Coverage by the collective agreement
-
Representation and advocacy in all matters
relating to and arising out of employment
-
Representation and advocacy on behalf of career
firefighters with central Government and agencies, the NZ Council
of Trade Unions and the wider trade union movement including
international forums
-
Limited provision of Group Life/Total and Partial Disability
Insurance
-
Nominations of members' representatives as
trustees onto the NZFS Superannuation Scheme
What else?
The NZPFU is a key partner with the Fire Service in delivering the Fire
Service's strategic vision of reducing the incidence and consequence of fire and
to provide a professional response to other emergencies.
More information:
NZPFU representatives are based on all career
fire stations. There are also 19 Union
Locals in the major metropolitan and principal centres where career firefighters are employed.
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