NSW Firefighters drop work bans

21:34 AEST Sat Oct 22 2011

After three days of industrial action which closed fire stations and cost the government thousands, NSW firefighters union decided to lift a work ban.

The Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU) put a ban on firefighters relieving crews at other stations from 8am on Thursday (AEDT).

The action was estimated to have cost the government $80,000 a day in overtime, FBEU state secretary Jim Casey told AAP.

Mr Casey said the ban started after an agreement that was reached between the union and Fire and Rescue NSW a year ago was not respected.

The agreement allows injured firefighters to undertake the light activity of driving logistic support vehicles.

Both parties met at the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) at noon on Thursday, where vice-president Justice Michael J Walton recommended the union lift its ban.

When the union refused, the IRC ordered it to lift the bans on Friday, saying it could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But the FBEU continued to dig their heels in.

“We needed to be able to know that the employer was going to honour their agreement,” Mr Casey said.

Finally, after a series of letters between the union and NSW Fire and Rescue on Friday night and Saturday morning, Mr Casey told AAP work bans had been lifted at 6pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Mr Casey said the stalemate ended after Fire and Rescue assented to honour the existing agreement.

“I’m very happy that the parties have been able to make some kind of agreement,” Mr Casey said.

“Firefighters never like to take industrial action, especially when stations are closed in the process.”

However, Mr Casey said the fight was far from over.

The union described the recent industrial action as “one front in a larger war”, which the FBEU will be taking up in the coming months.

This would focus on getting better conditions for those firefighters who are deemed medically unfit to continue on normal duties.

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins has welcomed the lifting of the work bans.

He said during the bans some fire stations had been temporarily taken off line due to reduced crews, but all stations were now operating as normal.