NZPFU Industrial Action

The UFBA values and respects all our members. This includes paid firefighters and their right to act on matters of employment. 

The UFBA has purposefully adopted a neutral stance on current NZPFU industrial matters.

Why?  Because the NZPFU is the paid firefighter’s employee union.  It is their job, not the UFBA’s, to negotiate the employee pay and conditions for the paid firefighters employed by FENZ.

The UFBA focus is on support to all volunteers regardless of their UFBA membership to ensure volunteers are supported by FENZ to protect their communities.

Some UFBA Members believe the UFBA Management should be more vocal about the NZPFU industrial dispute. It is the NZPFU that decides what methods the union will use to negotiate its terms with FENZ. That is not a matter for the UFBA. Frankly, it’s none of our business unless it impacts the ability of volunteer brigades to do their job. Rest assured if volunteers are hindered in their duties in any way, the UFBA will take immediate action with FENZ.

What the UFBA has already done, was work directly with FENZ leaders to gain their commitment on matters that may affect volunteer brigades when the NZPFU issued their strike action notice.  

Given UFBA’s strong relationship with FENZ, it does not need to sign an agreement with the NZPFU to achieve this type of commitment from FENZ.  We work directly, and constructively, with FENZ on your behalf.

Therefore, the Joint Statement document circulating in some channels claiming the UFBA and individual volunteer fire brigades should sign an MoU with the NZPFU is redundant in its purpose.  The UFBA and Member Brigades do not need the NZPFU to help us gain these types of commitments from FENZ.

Over the past fortnight, the UFBA has communicated with Members advising that CE Kerry Gregory has assured UFBA leaders that volunteer brigades will not be called upon to crew-paid stations or appliances normally crewed by paid firefighters. UFBA did this well before there was any talk of MOUs by the NZPFU. The dates of our messages confirm this.

UFBA does not see that it has a dispute with NZPFU.

Our volunteer members will continue to be called upon to respond to emergencies as they are now. No special arrangements will be made by FENZ involving volunteers if paid firefighters walk off stations.

The UFBA will continue to leverage its strong relationships with FENZ leaders to advocate for its members who may be affected by industrial action by the NZPFU.

Thank you to members who do contact the UFBA directly with their concerns and ideas on how to move through the disruption this latest dispute by the NZPFU is and may continue to cause, to volunteers and their communities.  Please continue to make contact here connect@ufba.org.nz