As reported in SITREP 8, wage increases of 2.5% for all members, permanent and retained, took effect on 17 February and should therefore have appeared in members’ pays this week. Members are always encouraged to check your pay advice – doubly so when new rates take effect.
Further evidence of the need to regularly check your pay came this afternoon from the Department, which confirmed that an error had occurred “for some employees” with pay period 18. The error appears to have affected retained members only, although to what extent is not yet clear. While the Department has undertaken to rectify these errors in the next pay period, members are advised to review both pays carefully and to contact the Union for advice and assistance if in any doubt.
Authorised Duties hours now an Award right
The 2017 Retained Award includes a new subclause 6.6.3 that transferred the allocation of authorised duties hours for each station from FRNSW policy to an Award condition. These hours can no longer be reduced by Zone Commanders or Business Managers, nor can they be averaged over a longer period. For example, the 26 hours per month of station-based duties at subclause 6.6.3.1 means 26 hours each month, not 312 hours per annum that can be averaged and cut off early if exceeded.
6.6.3 Each station shall be allowed not less than:
6.6.3.1 26 hours per month of station-based duties; and
6.6.3.2 1.5 hours per week, per vehicle of Engine Keeper duties; and
6.6.3.3 2 hours per week, per vehicle of Station Inventory Management System (SIMS) duties; and
6.6.3.4 16 hours per annum of attendance at station open days and local shows; and
6.6.3.5 in the case of any and all other authorised duties:
6.6.3.5.1 14 hours per month if attending 100 incidents or less per year.
6.6.3.5.2 19 hours per month if attending more than 100 but less than 200 incidents per year.
6.6.3.5.3 24 hours per month if attending 200 or more incidents per year.
Contamination of FRNSW training sites – update #3
The Department this week issued an ‘Information Sheet: Firefighting Foam and PFAS’. SITREPs 6, 17 and 22 of 2016 all reported the Union has been monitoring developments relating to PFOS/PFOA contamination at training sites closely and meeting regularly with the Department on the issue. This ‘Information Sheet’ contains nothing new, and appears to have been intended for release months ago.
The Department will receive the next contamination report shortly and the Union has already sought a briefing on this report as soon as it arrives. The Union will provide more information to members as soon as it comes to hand.
Leighton Drury
State Secretary
For a printable copy of this SITREP please click here.
