Newly appointed Minister of Emergency Services Kim Wells has wasted no time in misusing his new position to put the boot into firefighters by colluding with MFB executive in a disgraceful political stunt.
Media coverage today confirms that the Minister has decided to wade into industrial matters by using the Auditor-General’s report into management of unplanned leave to continue the strategy of demonizing firefighters at the expense of firefighter health and wellbeing.
A story in the media today was intended to mislead the public into thinking “the please explain” demand from the Minister to the MFB regarding the findings of the Auditor-General’s report was an attempt at accountability.
But the reality is this is an orchestrated campaign to prime the public into believing that firefighters are overpaid, abuse leave entitlements and that the consultation provision agreed by the MFB in the 2010 Operational Staff Agreement is the root of all evil.
“He is having a cheap shot at firefighters when they have refused to meet to discuss workplace illness, in particular post traumatic stress disorder which was identified by the Newcastle University” (Peter Marshall as reported in the Age today)
In February 2013 the UFU released the Newcastle University Report “Occupational Health Effects for Firefighters: The Extent and Implications of Physical and Psychological Injuries” which found high levels of physical and psychological injury in firefighters due to the nature of their role in protecting the community.
The UFU is extremely disappointed that the MFB continue to ignore and the warning of a ticking time bomb of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and instead spends its time orchestrating a media campaign to try and demonize firefighters in the public eye.
It is time that CEO Nick Easy and his band of merry men and women hunkering down in their bunker at Nauru House crawled out into the sunlight and begun to constructively address the serious health and safety issues including eroding firefighter mental health.
The UFU is organising a protest against Minister Well’s unethical attack which may be held outside Minister Wells Scoresby Electorate Office. Members will be notified so that they can attend and demonstrate their disappointment in the Minister’s attack.