News

Code Red – Award Expiry Industrial Campaign Continued

April 5, 2024

Code Red – Award Expiry Industrial Campaign Continued

As advised in SitRep yesterday, with our Respect, Protect, Value campaign in full swing but still no formal offer on the table from FRNSW or the Minns Government, we are adding an additional Code Red to those already in place in support of our 2024 Award Log of Claims. Further campaign and industrial action will be considered following the IRC on Thursday 11 April.

New Code Red

1. Effective immediately, any member with administrator access to FRNSW Station Facebook Pages should use that access to ensure that, outside of critical incident or emergency information required to maintain the safety of the community, only Union and/or FBEU campaign material is posted on that page. This includes the removal of posts/publications not relevant to the FBEU and our campaign.
2. Effective immediately all members who contribute to any FRNSW Station Facebook Page should only contribute Union and/or FBEU Campaign Material, unless the post is related to an incident or emergency information required to maintain the safety of the community.
3. In line with the instructions in Sitrep 21/2024 members should continue to use liquid chalkto prominently display on all appliances our campaign message, which is:
   RESPECT, PROTECT, VALUE YOUR FIREFIGHTERS.
4. Effective immediately, all members should continue the practice of ensuring that station noticeboard signs only have campaign messaging on them. A simple board message is:
   RESPECT
   PROTECT
   VALUE
   YOUR FIREFIGHTERS
5. Effective immediately all members are to send the following campaign message via email to Premier Minns (email address kogarah@parliament.nsw.gov.au):

 

Dear Premier 

RESPECT, PROTECT, VALUE NSW PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS

 My name is (insert your name here) and I am a NSW Professional Firefighter. I have spent my career as a professional firefighter dedicated to the protection of the community, taking risks to my own health, safety and wellbeing in doing so.

In March 2023, NSW professional firefighters showed up through the NSW State Election Campaign calling out the terrible legacy of the previous NSW Liberal/National government who left the NSW professional fire service, FRNSW, significantly under resourced and undervalued. This was to the detriment of my safety and career, along with the protection of NSW community. Our efforts in that campaign ultimately contributed to your election victory and the change in Government.

During that campaign (and after) Labor made commitments to ensure genuine negotiations with frontline workers.

Despite that, as you are aware, the Awards which provide for our conditions of employment, including not just pay and conditions, but safety provisions also, expired in February this year and your government has failed to even put an offer on the table.

NSW Professional Firefighters have, and will continue to take sustained campaign action until this Government delivers on the following:

1. RESPECT: FRNSW and Government representatives come to the negotiating table in good faith with full bargaining parameters to prevent any further delay to our Awards being resolved.
2. PROTECT: Presumptive legislation relating to occupational cancers is expanded to ensure we have compensation and protection from the full range of cancers we suffer from.
3. VALUE: A fair wages offer is put on the table which reflects the skills, training, and work value of NSW professional firefighters.

As a NSW professional firefighter, I am calling on you to meet your commitments not just to us, but to the community of NSW and Respect, Protect and Value NSW Professional Firefighters.

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A reminder to all members that, in addition to the above, we still have in place the following Code Reds:

1. Effectively immediately all members are hereby instructed to immediately cease wearing FRNSW issued T-shirts/shirts while performing any work or duties for FRNSW and are instead to wear any other shirt including but not exclusive to union and/or industrial campaign t-shirts or Hawaiian Shirts.
2. Effective immediately all Senior and Executive Officers are hereby instructed to not participate in any activity which would direct members to not participate in any of these activities or direct them to not comply with a Code Red and/or take any adverse action against an employee for their participation in these Code Reds.
3. Effective immediately all members are hereby instructed to not participate in any activity that relates to discipline, counselling or any other activity which has an adverse impact on their employment where that activity is in relation to compliance with any Code Reds issued by the FBEU. Members are also instructed to not participate in any activity which would create a record of any other members participation in these code reds.

 

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We wish to make clear to all members that if at any time while taking these actions any member is concerned that participating in the actions in compliance with the code reds poses any risk to you, a colleague and/or a member of the community you should immediately cease taking the action and contact the FBEU directly for further instruction.

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Please send photos of your campaign activities to campaigns@fbeu.net.

 

In Unity

Leighton Drury
State Secretary

Click here to download a printable version of this Code Red