Fireys given long overdue pay rise

AFTER three and a half years of negotiations Territory firefighters will finally get the pay rise they deserve after voting yes to their latest Enterprise Bargaining Agreement

NT firefighters Andrew Falconer and Peter Jelly ... Northern Territory firefighters have been in pay negotiations for more than three years. Picture: Helen Orr

AFTER three and a half years of negotiations, Territory firefighters will finally get the pay rise they deserve after voting ‘yes’ to their latest Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.

Negotiations came to a standstill when the former Country Liberal Government refused to fork out for the fireys’ back pay.

Firefighters told the NT News they would not accept any agreement without back pay because they were fearful of the precedent it would set, and because of the possibility it could have impacted on the negotiations of other professions such as teaching and nursing.

The union representing firefighters, United Voice, secretary Erina Early said it was an ALP commitment that if elected they would resolve the long-running EBA negotiations.

“The firefighters wanted their back pay, the reason they stuck to their guns was that the CLP were tabling inferior offers that were eroding their conditions of employment,” she said.

During the September election, Territory firefighters took the extraordinary step of campaigning against the CLP’s re-election.

Members doorknocked, held signs on the side of the road and visited markets to warn people off voting for the Country Liberals.

“They would not usually get involved in an election but they ran a strong community campaign against the CLP in light of how they had been treated by the former government,” Ms Early said.

“It was a Gunner Government commitment that they would resolve their EBA and the firefighters are ecstatic at the outcome.”

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said it was a fair outcome for firefighters who provided a critical service to the community.

“I’m proud that firefighters who do the hard yards on the frontline now have certainty about their work conditions and levels of pay,” he said.

“Since the commencement of negotiations in 2013 the CLP failed to negotiate a fair agreement. Labor has delivered for fireys and their families before Christmas.”

The firefighters will be given their full back pay entitlements from November 2013 and will receive a 3 per cent pay increase.

One firefighter, who can’t be named due to his employment conditions, said the outcome was a long time coming but the crews were happy it was now over.