Collective Agreement Negotiations

The Union Committee and the Fire Service have agreed to reconvene the negotiations next week to see if the remaining outstanding issues can be resolved.

Members are reminded that full implementation of S.M.S. is fundamental to any final settlement that may be agreed upon.

It is therefore quite premature and unacceptable, during the period of negotiations and before any settlement is reached, for any further moves to be undertaken to further implement S.M.S. This included training on any new developments.

The Fire Service has been formally advised of this by the Union.

Court of Appeal

This decision is still awaited and the Union has no knowledge as to when the decision will be issued.

International Meeting - NZPFU, Fire Brigades Union of the UK, International Association of Firefighters and United Firefighters Union of Australia

Attached is a Meeting Statement developed at the meeting and a Press Release.

These documents are self-explanatory regarding both the purpose of the meeting and its outcome.

What is needed now, and there is a clear commitment from the participating Unions, is to work to develop further the partnership/alliance referred to.

Firefighting is an international vocation and we can all learn so much from each other.

It is vital that we all appreciate how internationalized our employers now are.

The report from the F.B.U. representative makes it absolutely obvious that their current experiences are an exact replay of New Zealand 1995 – 2000. Obviously the agenda has not gone away – the employers have simply resurrected it elsewhere.

The Union Committee is convinced that significant tangible benefits will accrue to members through close contact, communication and interaction at all levels between the four Unions, and hopefully wider in the future.