News

SitRep 27/2025

August 15, 2025

IRC AWARD ARBITRATION DECISION – FURTHER STEPS

Further to yesterday’s Sitrep we continue to review and consider the impact of the decision issued yesterday by the IRC.

For those who have taken the time to read it in full, as I am sure you will appreciate, while the decision is one that provides many enhanced terms, conditions along with new entitlements, the actual practical operation and application of many of these has been left to the parties to negotiate and draft into new Awards.

This includes key matters such as:

• The operation of the new GLR Allowance and it’s interaction with other new specialist Rescue Allowances
• The operation and quantum of the new Retained Rescue Allowance
• The broadened application of the Hazmat and Minor/Major Aerial Allowance
• The operation and interaction between the On-call and Disturbance Allowances
• The operation of the new RPAS Allowance.

There are also many matters that have been determined by the IRC but require updated drafting such as the increase to the minimum payment for retained firefighters for attendance at incidents to 1.5 hours.

The IRC has helpfully set a very tight timeframe to the complete this work requiring us to provide draft Awards that reflect their decision by 4 September. Any matters not agreed will be the subject of further conciliation and directions before Commissioner McDonald on 11 September to determine a way forward.

I want to assure you all that we are working hard in the office to meet these deadlines and move this Award to a conclusion as quickly as possible. To that end we met with FRNSW today and have set a way forward including providing documents and drafts early next week with a further meeting scheduled for next Friday.

I will keep you all posted on the progress of these meetings. In the meantime, we have been assured that FRNSW are working through the process of processing the wage increases and back payments which they have provided a tentative timeframe of 6 weeks for payments to be made

In Unity,

Leighton Drury
State Secretary

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