Tauranga, Greerton and Mount Maunganui paid firefighters hold a peaceful protest on Cameron Rd. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Tauranga, Greerton and Mount Maunganui paid firefighters hold a peaceful protest on Cameron Rd. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Tauranga firefighters took to the streets in a show of strength as they walked off their stations as part of a nationwide protest over their pay and working conditions.
At 11am yesterday, the station doors went up to the sound of bells ringing and firefighters wearing union T-shirts, some carrying placards with messages such as "Undervalued, Under Pressure, Fire Crisis" and "Help Us Protect You, Under Resourced" exited and filed down Cameron Rd.
About 2000 firefighters nationwide stepped away from their stations for the hour-long strike, including about 40 career firefighters in Tauranga and their supporters who formed a picket line on the intersection of Elizabeth St and Cameron Rd.
The firefighters were striking for better pay, increased staffing levels, better firefighting equipment and also increased mental health support.
FENZ has said it had offered striking firefighters a pay rise of between 8 per cent and 19 per cent over two years. The union said the offer was not enough.
Drivers of passing cars, buses and trucks honked their support at the firefighters standing at each of the four corners of Elizabeth St and Cameron Rd.
Other members of the public yelled messages of support from their vehicles.
Tauranga station senior firefighter Steve Opie, his wife Anna and 2-and-half-year-old twin sons Jesse and Ezra on the picketl ine. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Tauranga station senior firefighter Steve Opie, a 14-year-veteran, attended the protest with his wife Anna, a former firefighter, and their 2-and-half-year-old twin sons Jesse and Ezra dressed in firefighter uniforms
"I'm highly disappointed to be standing here today. It's gutting for me and every other firefighter who has walked off the job for the first time in our lives," Opie said.
During the strike, the firefighters were not answering emergency calls
In an ironic twist, when a Wood Fired Pizza delivery truck broke down on Cameron Rd, it was the striking firefighters who came to the driver's rescue and pushed his truck off the road.
Mount Maunganui senior firefighter Adam Martin (left) and retired firefighter Paul Bunn. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Mount Maunganui senior firefighter Adam Martin, who receives his gold star for more than 25 years' service tomorrow, said, "The last thing I want to be doing is be standing on the picket line. It's gut-wrenching. I think FENZ has forgotten why we are here ... This has been brewing for a long time, we've been understaffed and under-resourced for decades."
Tina Wray from Maungatapu, whose father and grandfather were volunteer firefighters, said, "Why wouldn't you want to support these amazing heroes? What would we do if they weren't there for us, we would absolutely be in dire straits.
"They need to be better valued, better resourced and remunerated by FENZ for what they actually do everything day which is rescuing people and saving lives. "
Tauranga Professionl Firefighters Union president Karne Gough. Photo / Supplied
Karne Gough, the Tauranga president of the PFU, said he and the other striking firefighters were buoyed by all the community support.
"The reason for this extreme strike action today is we have gotten to the point in time that we are extremely dejected and frustrated that we're continuously under-resourced and undervalued.
"It's a sad day for all of us on the frontline and it's a sad day for New Zealand that we've had to take this action to send a strong message to Fire and Emergency that we will no longer accept this."
FENZ deputy national commander Brendan Nally earlier said it was "very disappointing" that the union had gone ahead with the strike, despite the chance to call it off and get help to bring industrial bargaining to a conclusion.
"We asked NZPFU to make a joint application to the Employment Relations Authority for facilitated bargaining - and to withdraw their current strike notices while this went ahead.
"Disappointingly, the NZPFU has not responded to either of our requests. Instead, they have issued further strike notices for two more one-hour full work stoppages on September 2 and 9.
"We are therefore making our own application to the Employment Relations Authority for facilitated bargaining," Nally said.
Volunteers and FENZ executives were available for urgent callouts during the strike.
