PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says a major restructure of Fire and Emergency "must be put on hold before lasting damage is done". Photo: RNZ
Two unions are going to the Employment Relations Authority to try to stop a major restructure of Fire and Emergency (FENZ).
Staff were told last week of sweeping changes designed to slash $50 million from FENZ's annual costs.
Over 140 roles could be cut if the changes go through.
The PSA and Professional Firefighters' Union (NZPFU) filed an urgent application with the authority, arguing FENZ had breached the collective agreement by failing to consult before announcing the proposed job cuts.
PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the changes "must be put on hold before lasting damage is done to FENZ's ability to respond to emergencies".
"These proposed cuts pose a serious threat to public safety at a time of escalating climate-driven emergencies. We are aiming to stop these dangerous job losses," Fitzsimons said.
She said Fire and Emergency was shutting the unions out of meaningful consultation over the cuts.
"FENZ has clear obligations in the collective agreements to consult both the PSA and NZPFU about proposed changes that impact its members - not just their consequences. FENZ only provided an embargoed copy of its proposal to the PSA the day before announcing it to staff.
"The PSA made several attempts between being advised about the restructure on 29 October and 12 November to be consulted, it's simply not good enough," Fitzsimons said.
NZPFU national secretary Wattie Watson said the workers caught up in the cuts were "critical" to ensuring firefighters on the ground were properly trained and resourced.
"We are deeply concerned about the impacts on our members that are evident in the proposal but also the unseen implications which we believe may be an attack on the necessary increase in career firefighters.
"FENZ is unilaterally deciding to reverse parts of a restructure in 2020 that put community resilience and risk reduction roles in place without first engaging with those that do the work to see if any changes need to be made," Watson said.
Fire and Emergency said it was committed to consulting with its workforce about the proposed restructure.
However, FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said the employer was encouraging the unions and the wider workforce to have a say on the plan.
"The PSA, NZPFU and all our people, have been encouraged to engage in the consultation process, so that their views on whether or not the change should take place, the reasons behind the proposed change, and on the proposed changes themselves can be heard, considered and responded to.
"We have postponed planned activities to ensure our unions, associations, and personnel have the time and capacity to engage fully with the proposal and prepare their submissions."
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