Labourstart News
| Wage Case Update - Background to Bans | 22 June 2008  |
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The FBEU and the Department are now locked in an increasingly acrimonious and bitter dispute over our current wage claim. The dispute boiled over on Tuesday evening when the Union imposed relieving bans in response to weeks of provocation, baiting and outright confrontation from the Department. Here’s the background - the last time the Union imposed relieving bans was Friday 28th March on the basis of the Department’s unilateral decision to introduce alternate duties for retained firefighters. Had the Department succeeded in introducing its plan many retained firefighters would have risked substantial loss in Death and Disability entitlements. Coming out of that dispute the Department was able to convince the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to order that the Union cease and refrain from authorising, organising, supporting, encouraging or inciting any industrial action for three months. The Department was under the clear impression that it had managed to deny the Union the right to inform members of what was proposed for our wages and conditions and that no further bans would be imposed until the IRC order had expired. During this time the Union has continued to meet and attempt to negotiate an acceptable wage increase, expecting that this wage round would be no different to the last four and be settled by agreement. As negotiations have rolled on it has become increasingly clear that the Department has sniffed the wind and is seeking to take its claim on our conditions all the way through to arbitration rather than settling by negotiation. This has meant the Union has had to build an entire wage case in less than a month – something that normally takes many months of hard work. While all the Union’s staff have been working feverishly putting our wage case together the Department has become increasingly emboldened and has now been backing away from previously agreed positions like the date our new Award will expire. It is now clear that the Department has embarked on a deliberate strategy of tying up the Union’s resources in an effort to frustrate and delay the Union in building and submitting our wage case by the date it was due. The relieving bans imposed by the Union again had the Department attempt to pit the IRC against the Union and seek a further order that the Union not impose bans or encourage or incite any industrial action. The Department will now be spending the next six weeks working its way through our wage case and attempting to discredit the arguments put forward by members in support of the extra work and responsibilities we are required to carry out. In order to do this the Department will be calling on firefighters to submit affidavits supporting the Department’s position on our wage claim. The Union accepts that this is a very difficult position for any Union member to be placed in and encourages any member concerned about submitting an affidavit to call the Union office and discuss the matter directly. Simon Flynn State Secretary |
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