Beach Street in Frankston was blocked off today as firefighters rallied outside the electorate office of local MP and Emergency Services Minister Paul Edbrooke.
Edbrooke did not appear at the rally, where frustrated firefighters made their feelings very clear.
The United Firefighters Union says negotiations for a new operational agreement have broken down, with the State Government pursuing legal arguments that the union claims could undermine longstanding protections around minimum staffing, rostering, equipment and workplace safety.
But today’s protest was about more than an industrial dispute.
Firefighters spoke about how they had campaigned to help Edbrooke enter Parliament around 12 years ago, when he stood alongside them fighting against changes to their working conditions.
Now, they say, he is supporting the very kinds of changes he once fought against.
There were loud boos, chants of “shame” and calls for Edbrooke to be voted out.
Protesters also took aim at his continued use of his firefighting background in political material, calling for him to stop using the firefighter helmet and declaring that he had turned his back on the firefighting community.
Firefighters warned that the dispute isn’t simply about their working conditions. They believe the proposed changes, combined with staffing and equipment shortages, are putting both firefighters and the public at risk.
One particularly confronting warning from the rally was that, unless things change, someone is going to die.
The union says firefighters have gone six years without a general pay rise and claims 67% of Fire Rescue Victoria’s trucks are past their service life.
Those at today’s rally also vowed to campaign against Edbrooke in the lead-up to the state election, including taking their message directly to voters at polling booths.
The message from today’s protesters was unmistakable… They believe someone who once fought alongside them has now abandoned their cause.
Video: Today’s rally outside Paul Edbrooke’s Frankston electorate office.
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