News

Permanents’ 4% payrise

August 22, 2002

The latest Award payrise for permanent members of 4% took effect on 9 August, and will therefore now appear in this fortnight’s pays due tomorrow. This is the second last instalment of the 17% total wage increases secured by the Union through new Awards for both permanent and retained members in 2000. All wages and most (but not all) allowances have increased 4%, producing the following results:

Rank / Old rate / New rate / Increase per week

Recruit – $35,852 pa / $37,286 pa/ $27.48 pw
Firefighter Level 1 – $38,809 pa / $40,362 pa / $29.75 pw
Firefighter Level 2 – $40,653 pa / $42,279 pa / $31.16 pw
Firefighter Level 3 – $42,500 pa / $44,201 pa / $32.59 pw
Firefighter Level 4 – $44,349 pa / $46,122 pa / $33.99 pw
Qualified Firefighter – $46,198 pa / $48,046 pa / $35.42 pw
Senior Firefighter – $48,046 pa / $49,968 pa / $36.83 pw
Leading Firefighter – $51,743 pa / $53,813 pa / $39.66 pw
Station Officer Level 1 – $55,436 pa / $57,653 pa / $42.50 pw
Station Officer Level 2 – $57,749 pa / $60,059 pa / $44.27 pw
Inspector – $68,677 pa / $71,425 pa / $52.65 pw
Superintendent – $86,200 pa / $89,648 pa / $66.08 pw
Chief Supt Level 1 – $89,206 pa / $92,774 pa / $68.38 pw
Chief Supt Level 2 – $93,134 pa / $96,859 pa / $71.39 pw

Operational Support Level 1 – $52,418 pa / $54,515 pa / $40.19 pw
Operational Support Level 2 – $61,964 pa / $64,443 pa / $47.51 pw
Operational Support Level 3 – $75,319 pa / $78,332 pa / $57.74 pw
Operational Support Level 4 – $86,766 pa / $90,237 pa / $66.52 pw
Operational Support Level 5 – $93,135 pa / $96,860 pa / $71.39 pw

In accordance with the Union’s registered rules, Union dues also increased by 4% on 9 August, rising by 30 cents for permanent members from $7.71 to $8.01 per week.

The 4% increase for retained members will now follow on 1 October 2002, with the next (and final) 5% wage increase payable under the current Awards falling due:
for permanent members, in 6 months from now on 6 March 2003; and
for retained members, on and from 1 April 2003.

As a point of interest (and a measure of the FBEU’s success in recent years), an award increase on 23 October 1986 took a Senior Firefighter’s wages up to $23,994 per year.

Chris Read
State Secretary