August 08, 2022
Low pay, high risks spark firefighter strike
The national secretary of the Professional Firefighters Union, Wattie Watson, says members are fighting for not only their livelihoods but their physical and mental well-being.
The union has called for an unprecedented national strike for an hour between 11 am and 12 pm on two consecutive Fridays – August 19 and 26.
Ms Watson says the last strike was about 25 years ago as part of a fight for minimum staffing levels – which Fire and Emergency New Zealand now breach consistently.
She says as well as low pay, firefighters face regular exposure to cancer-causing smoke and the mental trauma that comes with being first responders for 96 percent of medical incidents outside of the hospital.
“The firefighters themselves absolutely talk about how it’s the best job in the world and they understand those risks they take but they are falling very far behind in terms of reasonable wages and FENZ now needs to step up and deal with those issues and do what every good employer should do in terms of mitigating risks and providing the proper appropriate care for the worker,” Ms Watson says.
She says firefighters want to see more Māori in the profession, as the workforce needs to reflect the community it serves.