Ed Gannon: CFA put to the torch in fire services merger
The CFA has been burnt to the ground to make way for a brand new fire services regime, and Daniel Andrews is letting the union run rampant, writes Ed Gannon.
Opinion
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It can only be described as a hot mess.
And I’m not referring to Victoria’s latest coronavirus malaise.
While all attention is on the worsening COVID-19 crisis engulfing the state (even if regional Victoria is carrying the can for something they are not a part of), the State Labor Government is putting the Country Fire Authority to the torch.
Wednesday marked the first day of our new fire services regime, when Fire Rescue Victoria was formed from a merger of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and a big chunk of the CFA.
The CFA still exists as a volunteer-only organisation, but there is a very strong feeling it has been burnt to the ground by the State Government.
The dawn of FRV was the result of years of turmoil, which started almost the day the Andrews Government came to power in 2014.
And the skirmishes continued to the very end, with CFA boss Steve Warrington resigning last week after he refused to sign an order that would have seen 229 FRV staff seconded to the CFA.
His demise was the latest in a string that claimed cabinet ministers, CFA board members and chief executives.
No one expected the utter determination of the UFU and its take-no-prisoners boss Peter Marshall.
And even less expected was new Premier Daniel Andrews’ unfettered eagerness to accommodate the union’s wishes.
The control the UFU has over FRV — and the CFA — is breathtaking.
It controls not just rosters, but staff appointments.
And it is now forcing the CFA to second 229 FRV staff to the commander and assistant chief officer roles with CFA — staff the CFA will have no control over.
Here’s an example of what that means, as deciphered by The Weekly Times reporter Peter Hunt.
Regional commanders working as rostered duty officers would move from the current CFA 9am to 5pm shifts to the union’s “10/14” roster.
That will mean the CFA will have to employ more FRV commanders in these roles, given the 10-14 roster limits a commander to working for two days, from 8am to 6pm, followed by two night from 6pm to 8am (sleeping from 11pm to 7am), followed by four days off, plus nine weeks annual leave.
Therefore the CFA would need to employ up to five FRV staff to fill one position, given four are needed to cover 24 hours, seven days a week, plus an additional commander to cover all annual leave.
The union’s control is blindingly blatant.
Nearly everyone can see it.
Everyone except for Premier Andrews.
Or can he?
Notwithstanding the current coronavirus mess, Mr Andrews is a reasonable bloke who sees the world not much differently to most Victorians.
But on the CFA he has a shocking blind spot.
He has burnt political capital and goodwill over this issue. There must be a reason.
He is clearly beholden to Marshall and the union to have acceded to demands that are simply not reasonable.
The CFA deal has stunk since the moment it was proposed.
It is now a full-blown rotting carcass out there for all to see.
Our fire services are too important for the government to allow it to be a union plaything.
Ed Gannon is Editor of The Weekly Times