PAID and volunteer firefighters at Wangaratta Fire Station have put up a united front in the face of ongoing disdain over the contentious enterprise agreement.
Members from the integrated station, which includes around 40 staff and 60 to 70 volunteers, sent out the message this week that there are “no issues here”.
Their unity comes as volunteers from neighbouring brigade Molyullah this week threatened to walk away from their volunteer posts, while other local volunteer brigades reiterated their opposition to the workplace agreement pushed through by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last Friday, which led to the resignation of former emergency services minister Jane Garrett and the CFA board being sacked.
(Read the other side of the story here: http://wangarattachronicle.com.au/2016/06/15/brigades-united-against-changes/)
Opposition to the agreement has hinged on 14 key points, including a clause that would give the United Firefighters Union the power of veto over CFA operational and resourcing decisions, effectively putting CFA under union control.
But Wangaratta Fire Brigade first lieutenant Jason Allisey, who coordinates the volunteers at the station, said staff and volunteers at Wangaratta had maintained a strong relationship throughout the state-wide stoush.
“It’s a CFA and union issue but at Wangaratta Fire Station, the staff relationship is strong, there are no issues here,” Mr Allisey said.
“The staff and volunteers will still come to your house, or whatever is on fire, and do what we have to do.
“The issue is that outlying brigades don’t necessarily understand what’s going on but our relationship at Wangaratta is 100 per cent between staff and volunteers.”
This post is part of the thread: CFA EBA dispute – an ongoing story on this site. View the thread timeline for more context on this post.
