Fire and Emergency welcomes facilitation referral as best option to progress agreement with NZPFU

The NZPFU should call off continued strikes while facilitation process plays out Fire and Emergency says

Fire and Emergency New Zealand welcomes the Employment Relations Authority's decision to refer it and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) to facilitation to help make progress in bargaining for a collective employment agreement.

"Attending independent facilitation with the Authority is the next logical step in coming to an agreement and we will participate in good faith with the NZPFU," Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says.

"We ask the NZPFU to call off its strike tomorrow and all planned future strikes while both parties are preparing for facilitation which represents the best opportunity to settle bargaining.

"There is no good reason for continuing to put the community at risk while we go through that process."

The parties have been in talks for a collective employment agreement for more than 16 months.

"We hope the facilitation process introduces some realism into the discussions.The NZPFU's most recent settlement proposal was more than three times higher than our last offer, which we believe was fair, sustainable, and reasonable and in line with other settlements across the public service."

Fire and Emergency's recent offer amounts to a 6.2 percent average increase over 3 years and compares favourably with equivalent public sector agreements.

"We believe our latest offer represents a fair and sustainable increase for our people. It would've taken average senior firefighter salaries from a range of approximately $81,000-$87,000 to $86,000-$93,000 at the end of the period. That excludes overtime and allowances, which currently adds an average of almost $39,000 to annual remuneration.

"We've approached talks in good faith with the goal of reaching a fair, sustainable, and reasonable settlement with the NZPFU that keeps our communities safe. Fire and Emergency values the incredible dedication of our people, which is why over the past decade average senior firefighter pay has cumulatively increased by 37 percent, or more than 10 percent above the average total increase for all workers.

"We're also conscious that approximately 95 percent of Fire and Emergency's operations are funded by a levy on New Zealanders' building, contents and vehicle insurance, and the cost-of-living pressures that would arise from pushing those costs up too much," Megan Stiffler says.

The Authority has indicated it will convene a case management conference to make the necessary arrangements to progress this matter.