Firemen threaten industrial action

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 4

Firemen threaten industrial action

By

DAVID CLARKSON

National industrial action by firemen is threatened after the breakdown in their award talks last week. The Fire Service can expect notices from the country’s three fire brigade unions, giving two weeks warning of industrial action, in its mail today. Firemen are holding a series of secret ballots to decide whether to go ahead with the action — two hour rolling stoppages. The vice-president of the South Island union, Mr lan Michel, reported heavy turn-outs for the Christchurch and Timaru meetings yesterday.

The action follows a 3 per cent wage offer in award talks last Thursday, when the unions faced Fire Service and State Services Commission officials. Mr Michel said the 3 per cent offer was part of a package requiring firefighters to work longer routine duty hours. He said a State Services Commission official at the talks told the unions that because firefighters were regarded as unskilled labour and there was no recruitment or retention problem “a nil offer would be more appropriate.”

He also asserted that Cabinet Ministers were directly interfering in the State wage round to try to complete a managed round for State employees.

The Ministers were the Associate Finance Ministers, Mr Prebble and Mr Caygill, and the Minister of State Services, Mr Rodger. The firemen regarded the wage offer as “ridicul-

ous” and were incensed by it, he said. The wage package rejected by the unions included a clause making firemen work longer routine hours at week-ends and public holidays, and another revising the rank structure.

A Fire Service spokesman said it would make no comment until the notices of industrial action had been received.