News
Invercargill union firefighters walked off the job for the third time on (Today) Friday29th November, as negotiations continue to fail.
Station officer and NZPFU Invercargill local secretary Aaron Ramsay penned an open letter to the public, which took a deeper dive into what the issues are about.
“If you see us standing on the corner opposite Burger King again, please don’t think we are there just looking for a pay rise. After years of wage erosion, we would like a pay rise, but we also want to be able to do our job efficiently and safely so that we can do the best for you in your hour of need.
“If we don’t stand up now, this cycle will continue, and things will get worse. It’s bloody hard for us to walk away from you for that hour but please remember, FENZ have been walking away from you for eight years and there is no sign that they are coming back.”
Following the FENZ restructure back in 2017, Aaron said the budget has doubled from $420 million to $850 million, but the aging fleet they have been using hasn’t changed.
Invercargill’s ladder fire appliance, which serves as far away as Queenstown, is the very last of that type of appliance built for the New Zealand market, “and they have no replacements in the pipeline, the oldest of these appliances were built in 2004.”
But the plan is to send it to a Christchurch station which is busier, and have an even older model sent down to Invercargill.
The replacement trucks they are getting are MAN appliances that Aaron said keep breaking down nationwide.
“These trucks have been lemons from day one. They were so bad that the build was halted, with the remaining cab chassis stored in a paddock.”
He said five years later, out of warranty, they were then sent to back Europe to be built into fire appliances then shipped back here.
“These trucks have cost over $1M each and now they have found the lockers are not big enough to store our equipment in them. These vehicles will be in the system for 20 to 30 years, it’s vital they are well built and fit for purpose so that they can last as long as reasonably possible.”
Aaron said that everyone in New Zealand expects that when you dial 111, you will get a professional well trained and well-resourced response from either a volunteer or career brigade.
“This is not the reality. Staffing numbers across the country are too low, this is why trucks are short crewed or stations are closed. Funding is not going to the right places, you’re not getting value for money.”
He said community and commercial resilience are at risk due to poor management and a leadership vacuum at a national level.
“Local managers work hard to bridge the gap, but they are just as frustrated as we are. There is no accountability for the decisions that have run this service into the ground. If there was, I doubt they would have brought another batch of trucks that will continue to fail. This would not be tolerated by a private fleet operator but seems to be acceptable for a government administered agency.”
Give the team a toot when you drive past them this Friday again, between 12-2pm.
