Industrial action looms for TFS amid bushfire season

As the summer fire season intensifies, the Tasmania Fire Service could be hit by industrial action by critical staff.

As the summer fire season intensifies, the Tasmania Fire Service could be hit by industrial action by critical staff.

About 50 members of the Community and Public Sector Union are voting in a ballot to determine if they will begin action which could include bans on filling roles on incident management teams.

The workers undertake planned burns and are part of incident management teams which are critical to managing fires.

CPSU secretary Thirza White said the workers employed by the TFS want the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management to finalise an agreement that sees them paid the same as other public sector workers who work in incident management teams.

“CPSU TFS members have made the difficult decision to ballot for industrial action over DPFEM’s continued failure to finalise a new agreement that recognises and values the work they undertake in fire prevention and response,” Ms White said.

“These workers are responsible for planned burning, (they) lead incident management teams and provide the expert advice on weather patterns that ensure we can fight fires effectively and can scale up our response when required’.

“Some of them have been on the Sisters Beach fire this summer, working alongside others and paid less for doing the exact same job.

CPSU secretary Thirza Whit.

“They play a critical role in a modern firefighting workforce.

“All they want is to know that they will be paid for the work they do and have the time they give up with their families, while most of us are at the beach or on our holidays, recognised.

Climate change was leading to longer and more intense fires, she said and the demand on them was increasing.

Ms White said the workers were employed in day jobs with the TFS but volunteered to do specialist work on top of their day jobs,

“All they want is for their contribution to be recognised and to have working arrangements that increase the Tasmanian Fire Service’s ability to respond to fires while also not burning out dedicated staff who essentially volunteer to do this work on top of their day job,” she said.

“The arrangements they are seeking are already in-place for career firefighters and firefighters in the Parks and Wildlife Service, it’s not a big ask and it’s long overdue to be sorted out.

“We have met the Minister, have commitments from DPFEM in writing and yet the issue remains unresolved.

“The only option left to these workers is to take industrial action.”

A DPFEM spokesperson said the DPFEM contacted the CPSU to arrange a meeting before Christmas in relation to the agreement.

“The department will continue to make contact with CPSU to negotiate the agreement as a priority,” she said.

Ms White said the CPSU had been in negotiations with the DPFEM for three years on the need for a new agreement.

“If this isn’t resolved, CPSU TFS members are concerned that TFS won’t have the volunteers it needs to meet the challenges of this fire season,” she said.