Taupō Professional Firefighters Union members strike

NZ Professional Firefighters Union members from the Taupō Fire Station joined the national strike for one hour on Friday last week. Local secretary Dave Phillips at front. Photo / Rachel Canning

Taupō professional firefighter union members went on strike for one hour on Friday as part of nationwide action about work conditions.

From 11am to midday, around 30 people turned out for the strike outside the Taupō Firestation, with 18 professional firefighters union members and three volunteers in attendance.

Career firefighter and local secretary Dave Philips says inadequate staffing levels is the main issue driving the work stoppage but says this is not so much the case in Taupō.

He says the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFFU) members in Taupō were mainly striking to show solidarity with their city peers. Nationally, 94 per cent of NZPFFU members voted to support the strike.

Professional firefighter union members from Taupō Fire Station received many toots of support when they went on strike for one hour from 11am to 12 noon last Friday. Photo / Rachel Canning

Salaries not keeping pace with the cost of living is a third issue that the NZPFFU is striking over.

"We are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand but, in the cities, firefighters are going to the food bank."

Dave says the Taupō station logged an incident at 11.04 am, while the strike was on. He says they are fortunate the volunteer firefighters were able to respond.

"The volunteers have to leave their place of employment so they can respond. In Auckland, there is no volunteer service."

The strike is part of an employment dispute with the firefighters' employer Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). Strikes can only usually happen within a short time frame when the collective employment agreement is expiring and the two sides are negotiating a new agreement. The NZPFFU and FENZ reached an impasse in their negotiations, leading to this action.

Update: In a shared statement late Wednesday Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the NZ Professional Firefighters Union, and the Minister of Internal Affairs said: On Tuesday Minister Tinetti brought Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) together to assist in finding a way forward in the current collective bargaining impasse.
The meeting was constructive and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution. The following was agreed:
1. The parties will enter facilitated mediation with the assistance of an agreed independent mediator.
2. All strike notices will be suspended and no further industrial action will continue or occur.
3. FENZ will withdraw the request for facilitated bargaining through the Employment Relations Authority.
4. No further public communication will occur.
This agreement remains in place until September 30 or unless otherwise agreed.