A mediator's report into the industrial dispute between Fire and Emergency and the professional firefighters union has detailed a trust breakdown between management and underpaid frontline staff.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) have been locked into a protracted industrial dispute that cumulated in several hour-long strikes in August.
Further strikes in September were called off after parties were brought to facilitated mediation after the intervention of Internal Affairs minister Jan Tinetti on August 30.
The final mediator’s report was written by retired judge and employment law specialist Graeme Colgan. It was made public last night after being released to the parties a week earlier.
It found that the collective bargaining process, which covers almost two thirds of Fenz staff, had been made more difficult by a "mutual lack of trust and confidence".
Independent costing had proven Fenz’s claim it could not afford a significant element of what the union had asked for.
The report suggested that while it was "impractical" for Fenz to increase levies, which are set as percentage of insurance premiums, they could look towards borrowing, reprioritising or having their funds augmented by the Government.
The report found Fenz firefighters were underpaid when compared to airport firefighters and Department of Conservation staff undertaking firefighting duties. The continued retention of inadequately paid staff could not be taken for granted.
A significant number of experienced staff would retire over the next decade from the ageing workforce and there was little dispute that low salaries for early career firefighters was an obstacle. Ageing buildings and vehicles were also noted.
It appeared many Fenz administrative and head office staff were well remunerated, both for the hours worked and for their skills and experience, compared with firefighters, the report said.
Although firefighters dealt with fewer house fires they were increasingly dealing with medical emergencies as first responders, including cardiac arrests and suicides.
While the union sought reimbursement for those seeking voluntary mental health treatment, "no figure can yet be put on the probable costs and indeed there may also be constraints on the availability of sufficient and closely located psychologists to do this work", the report said.
The report recommended a three-year contract covering July 2021 to June 2024, with a 3.5%, 7.5% and 6.5% pay raise across three periods, along with a $1500 signing-on bonus as an incentive to settle.
Other issues, such as medical insurance, should be taken up by working parties with an emphasis on trust being rebuilt between the two groups. The issue of occupational cancers would likely require legislative intervention, the report said.
