Daniel Andrews under pressure over UFU vs. volunteer firefighters

The CFA Board has upped the ante in the firefighters dispute as Daniel Andrews comes under pressure to compromise.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is home from a visit to the US and facing a showdown over the CFA union versus volunteer firefighter issue. Picture: Scott Rudd

The Country Fire Authority board has upped the ante in the dispute over further unionising the organisation through the United Firefighters’ Union’s log of claims.

The board met today and announced in an explosive statement that it had rejected the proposed entreprise bargaining agreement with the UFU, saying it had clauses that were “unlawful” and “have no place in modern day workplaces and are out of step with today’s society”.

The move heightens the pressure on the Andrews government, which is discussing the issue in a Cabinet meeting today that may end Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett’s ministerial career.

While a circuit-breaker is definitely needed for the government, there is no sign that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is willing to compromise yet.

The CFA announced its rejection in the statement saying “the Board is not able to approve the EBA in its current form”.

“We have serious concerns many of these proposed clauses are unlawful and we have legal advice that indicates CFA would be in breach of its statutory obligations.

“We are now seeking senior counsel advice on this issue.

“While the Fair Work Commission’s recommendation stated the changes to the agreement do not impact on volunteers, the recommendation does not override the many specific clauses within the agreement that give rise to those issues.

“Many of these clauses have no place in modern day workplaces and are out of step with today’s society.

“Advice from the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission is that some clauses do not comply with the Equal Opportunity Act and would be unlawful.”

With Mr Andrews back from the US, the Cabinet will discuss the issue this afternoon and resolve the immediate response and, most likely, the future of dissident Minister Jane Garrett.

Ms Garrett has steadfastly opposed the endorsement of the ultra-militant United Firefighters’ Union’s demands in the proposed enterprise bargaining agreement.

Both ALP MPs and some Cabinet members have expressed misgivings about the handling of the dispute and the endorsement of an EBA that hands so much power to the union.

The main contentious clauses are those giving the union a dispute resolution officer that critics say will be an effective right of veto over CFA management’s decisions and a requirement that seven professional firefighters be dispatched to fires in areas where there are so-called integrated stations staffed by both professional and volunteer fire fighters.

Volunteer CFA brigades across the state have warned the row is already driving a wedge between them and their professional colleagues and souring a relationship that has always been difficult.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull seized on the issue over the weekend and campaigned with rallying CFA firefighters in central Melbourne as his government promised new legislation to enshrine protections for volunteers in similar situations.