Credit: <\/span>Justin McManus<\/cite><\/p>\nIn August, after months of negotiations, they were offered a deal that would increase their pay by 3 per cent and offer another 4500 firefighters an upfront $7000 payment.<\/p>\n
This would have technically kept the deal within the state\u2019s wages policy, which stipulates price hikes of no more than 3 per cent a year.<\/p>\n
But talks have broken down, prompting union boss Peter Marshall to say on Monday that the Andrews government had \u201cripped up the enterprise bargaining agreement in firefighters\u2019 faces\u201d, a claim the government denies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result, professional firefighters\u2019 safety and working conditions are now on the chopping block,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the last thing professional firefighters should be thinking about as they enter another difficult bushfire season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest dispute ignited after the UFU agreed to accept most parts of its enterprise agreement but asked the Fair Work Commission intervene to end the stalemate over wages and allowances by negotiating these terms.<\/p>\n
Fire Rescue Victoria did not accept this proposal and instead sought to have all matters arbitrated by the Commission. The issue will go before the commission again on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The union has described the move as an \u201cattack on all firefighters\u2019 conditions\u201d and accused the Andrews government of putting the safety of firefighters at risk as the state heads into one of the worst bushfire seasons since the Black Summer Fires of 2020.<\/p>\n
Marshall described the arbitration as a \u201ctest case\u201d to see whether a bargaining party can use industrial relation laws to unwind previously agreed matters.<\/p>\n
UFU members played key roles in the Andrews government\u2019s 2014 and 2018 election campaigns. Ahead of last year\u2019s state election, the firefighters\u2019 union threatened to campaign against the Labor Party in marginal seats over proposed changes to its compensation scheme for firefighters who develop cancer.<\/p>\n
Marshall also announced he wanted an 8.6 per cent annual pay increase for firefighters, blaming high inflation and has pushed for a Firefighters Registration Board that would give the union power who could be employed for operational roles.<\/p>\n
Since then, the government tabled its latest offer of 3 per cent, and additional one-off payments, on the condition the registration board proposal was removed from the agreement.<\/p>\n
The two sides have also been fighting the commission over $100 million in savings from the creation of FRV, which the UFU wants paid out to firefighters.<\/p>\n
With the latest breakdown of negotiations, Marshall said it had reaffirmed his belief that \u201call politicians are transactional\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen politicians from all governments including the premier line up for photos with people who put their lives on the line to keep communities safe and now they are stabbing them in the back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The UFU expects other unions to join with as many as 1500 professional firefighters from across the state to protest in Melbourne\u2019s CBD on Tuesday in what it claims will be the largest firefighter protest in Victoria\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government authorised FRV to put forward a fair pay offer in line with the government\u2019s wages policy,\u201d a state government spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur priority is for FRV to continue to negotiate with the representatives of their employees on that offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pay deals with the state\u2019s fire services have created political issues for the Andrews government since it was elected.<\/p>\n
The late Jane Garrett quit cabinet in 2016 because, as emergency services minister, she would not endorse the government\u2019s offer to the CFA.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s integrity watchdog is also yet to release its finding from an investigation named Operation Richmond \u2013 secret report into the Andrews government\u2019s dealings with the UFU.<\/p>\n
Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. <\/i><\/b>Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter here.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Politics<\/h2>\nFrom our partners<\/h3>\n
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