Both on and off-duty members rallied today at the office of Premier Chris Minns in yet a further escalation of our bargaining dispute. Members looking for a frank discussion with the Premier, once a member of the FBEU himself, were dismayed to find the office door bolted shut.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Minns Government are intent on ignoring professional firefighters and the communities we serve. As such, targeted actions will continue into next week including further picketing of Members of Parliament and increased actions around Code Reds.
Current Code Reds remain in place until lifted by the State Secretary. A list of current actions is available here.
NSW GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE & WELLBEING FRAMEWORK
As part of NSW Budget Papers for 2024-2025, the Minns Government has announced an inquiry titled: ‘A framework for performance reporting and driving wellbeing outcomes in NSW’. In the accompanying consultation paper, the Treasurer states that the NSW Government is committed to rebuilding neglected essential services, and matching Government expenditure with performance indicators and the ‘right data’ to drive efficient service delivery in the public sector. Indicators of service delivery proposed in the paper include those related to rates of rescue, rate of fire deaths, confinement of structural fires, among others.
This, from the same Government that refuses to provide inter-agency rescue data to substantiate our wages claim and continue to support a State Rescue Board who are failing in their most basic forms of accountability demanded by the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act.
The FBEU’s wages claim provides for meaningful reform in the emergency services sector right now, ensuring members have the tools they need to get the job done and to ensure the community are protected when they need it most. The Government themselves acknowledged the significant limitations faced by an over-reliance on volunteerism in emergency services. They released a 73-page report on these issues just this month.
There is a deeply concerning irony in the political platitudes of the Minns Government right now, and a clear lack of vision. FBEU members deserve better than this.
