Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews forced to cave in on United Firefighters Union deal
LATEST: HUNDREDS of United Firefighters Union members have rallied on the steps of Parliament, calling on the Premier to support a deal which would hand them significant power over the CFA.
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PREMIER Daniel Andrews’s right-hand man has hit out at the CFA, suggesting its board is ill-informed on the controversial EBA dispute, as hundreds of United Firefighters Union members rally at State Parliament.
Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings said the board — which yesterday rejected an EBA deal recommended by Fair Work — should pay closer attention amid “a lot of hysteria” about the issue.
“I encourage them to be better informed, to be better engaged and to work through these issues,” Mr Jennings said.
He said that if the CFA board took a closer look at the proposed deal then “their concerns will dissipate over time”.
“Any reasonable concerns that the CFA have raised previously have been considered by the independent umpire,” Mr Jennings said.
“The Commissioner’s offered assistance in trying to make them better informed about those matters to actually allay any concerns that they may have.”
He said he encouraged the board to consider which of their grievances had already been addressed “rather than locking into positions that may be six months out of date.”
Mr Jennings said the government wanted to secure a deal by the end of this week and he hoped the CFA would accept their concerns had been “reasonably addressed”.
UFU RALLY TO SUPPORT PAY DEAL
Meanwhile, hundreds of United Firefighters Union members have rallied on the steps of Parliament, calling on the Premier to support a deal which would hand them significant power over the CFA.
UFU secretary Peter Marshall said the Premier should “do the right thing by the firefighters” and approve the EBA recommended by Fair Work - which was rejected yesterday by the CFA.
“Make sure the independent umpire’s decision is upheld,” Mr Marshall said.
He criticised the CFA board for dragging the dispute out and told the hundreds of firefighters at the rally: “It says a lot about what they think about you.”
“Shame on the CFA board,” Mr Marshall said.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy also came under fire from Mr Marshall, who said he should stop treating firefighters as a “political football”.
“You had your hands all over us,” Mr Marshall said.
“Get your hands off us.”
“You have no place in that house (Parliament) ... Hang your heads in shame.”
Hundreds of UFU members rallying at Parliament House to support new CFA pay deal. @theheraldsun #springst pic.twitter.com/B5D4QPDT1z
— Tom Minear (@tminear) June 7, 2016
UFU expecting about 1000 people at today's rally. More fireys still coming in on buses. @theheraldsun #springst pic.twitter.com/xTW4Bl2fyb
— Tom Minear (@tminear) June 7, 2016
UFU's Peter Marshall lashing out at @MatthewGuyMP and @TurnbullMalcolm for using fireys as a "political football". @theheraldsun #springst
— Tom Minear (@tminear) June 7, 2016
VicRoads has warned motorists to avoid Spring St between Bourke St and Flinders St while the protest continues.
DAN CRUSHED
It comes after Mr Andrews yesterday surrendered when Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett stood firm over the pay deal that outraged volunteer firefighters.
Ms Garrett told Mr Andrews in crisis talks that she would not sign off on the proposed deal, backed last week by the Fair Work Commission.
It is a significant embarrassment for Mr Andrews, who just days ago strongly supported the agreement but then faced a backlash from 60,000 CFA volunteers.
The CFA board formally rejected the EBA, saying it was unlawful, undermined its volunteers and would have handed control of the fire services to the UFU.
Ms Garrett then told the Premier she would attend an afternoon Cabinet meeting only if he agreed not to support Fair Work’s recommended EBA.
The Cabinet meeting was due to start at 2pm but did not commence until 40 minutes later, after Ms Garrett and Mr Andrews had thrashed out a peace agreement.
Ms Garrett released a statement saying the government would review the pay deal, and that it understood the concerns of CFA volunteers.
She said “good progress has been made” but “further work” would be done by the government on the clauses the CFA had refused.
“The government will continue to work on resolving outstanding issues with the EBA,” Ms Garrett said.
“The government will be looking to finalise these matters in coming days.”
After Fair Work backed the UFU and slapped down the CFA, Mr Andrews said from New York last week: “The independent umpire has found and come down with a series of balanced and fair points.’’
But he was forced to come home a day early as pressure grew on him to back down on the proposed deal.
An emergency Cabinet subcommittee meeting was held on Friday to ratify the deal but it broke up in disarray when Ms Garrett refused to agree to it.
Thousands of volunteers and their families also gathered on the steps of parliament on Sunday, calling on the government to not sell them out.
But the retreat will not end the crisis for the government, as UFU members plan to rally outside parliament Tuesday and call on Mr Andrews to side with the union, which campaigned for him in 2014.
The UFU hit out at “dirty politics and lies”, which it claimed were being used to “upset volunteers”.
UFU secretary Peter Marshall accused the Liberal-National Coalition of seeking “payback” because the union campaigned against it at the last election.
Union members are being asked to come in uniform and bring “as many family and friends as you can” to the rally.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy urged the Premier to protect the CFA.
“Daniel Andrews and his government should back 60,000 CFA volunteers,” Mr Guy said.
“Their concerns are valid, well expressed, and they do so much for Victoria and Victorians that we should back them in their time of need. If Daniel Andrews believes the agreement the UFU is proposing is fair and balanced, then he has rocks in his head.”
The CFA board said of the EBA yesterday morning: “We have serious concerns many of these proposed clauses are unlawful. Many of these clauses have no place in modern day workplaces and are out of step with today’s society.”
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