Firefighters score mega pay rises as police, ambos sold short
Hundreds of firefighters will get pay rises of more than 8 per cent this year in a win that is set to cause tension with paramedics and police on the coronavirus front line. The move has been slammed as an outrage by the Opposition emergency services spokesman.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Hundreds of career firefighters will get pay rises of up to 8.5 per cent this year despite a collapse in tax revenue that has seen the Andrews Government asking to borrow an extra $24 billion.
The big win for the CFA and MFB firefighters will create tension with paramedics and police at the front line of the coronavirus crisis, who settled for pay rises of 2 per cent over the next four years.
From next week all MFB and paid CFA firefighters will begin receiving an extra 2.5 per cent backdated to January.
But on top of that, about 1500 are soon set to begin receiving another additional pay rise of between 5 per cent and 6 per cent under changes to job classifications as part of the creation of the new agency of Fire Rescue Victoria.
The new agency, which will take in all the state’s paid firefighters, leaving the volunteers in the CFA, will begin operation in July.
Under the enterprise agreement for the MFB which was ratified last year, the new agency will have a new rank of senior leading firefighter which will sit between the ranks of leading firefighter and station officer.
The new rank will be attained through time served rather than merit.
The change will see about 1200 leading firefighters become senior leading firefighters, giving them a pay increase of about 5 per cent.
To maintain the pay gap between firefighters and station officers, it was agreed in March about 400 station officers and senior station officers would receive pay rises of about 6 per cent. It has also been agreed all CFA operations managers will be reclassified as assistant chief fire officers, which a source said could see some of them gain one-off pay increases of tens of thousands of dollars.
A senior source familiar with the negotiations over the pay deal said the merged enterprise agreement for the CFA and MFB was expected to contain the “best of the best” of the old EBAs.
In March, the Victorian Ambulance Union accepted pay rises of 2 per cent over four years, along with some improved working conditions, in line with the government’s wages policy.
Opposition emergency services spokesman Nick Wakeling said the pay increases were an outrage at a time of national crisis.
“In the midst of a global pandemic, while thousands of Victorians are losing their jobs and the state’s economy is in a mess, it’s wrong for Daniel Andrews to be handing out a pay deal,” he said. “Daniel Andrews has pushed through this deal while many Victorians are losing their jobs and struggling with household budgets.”
Consistent with the government’s wages policy, career firefighters are being provided with an administrative 2.5 per cent increase to their pay and conditions.
A spokesman for Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said in line with the government’s wages policy, career firefighters were being provided with an “administrative” 2.5 per cent increase to their pay and conditions.
“As part of ongoing fire services reform and commencement of Fire Rescue Victoria on July 1, there is work under way on rank realignment to ensure career firefighters are treated equally as they come into one service,” the spokesman said.
MORE NEWS
POTENTIAL VIRUS OUTBREAK FEARED AT CHILDCARE CENTRE
HOW PANIC BUYING HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE SHOP