We are proud that yesterday the South Australian Court of Appeal upheld our appeal and determined that Firefighters who have accepted ‘schedule 1’ Award claims (dealing with additional compensation after the expiry of return to work act entitlements for injuries that arise in particular circumstances) are entitled to receive enterprise agreement pay rises back to their date of injury (in most cases).
For most workers with accepted schedule 1 claims this will restore years’ worth of pay adjustments that they had been frozen out of until now.
It also means that every (or close to) pay rate adjustment ever issued by SAFECOM under the schedule has been wrong.
I have already taken the step of writing to the SAFECOM Chief Executive seeking that all previous pay adjustments under schedule 1 be re-determined to incorporate the missed pay rises. We will continue to pursue that in the coming weeks.
I would like to acknowledge Steve Kancheff, who brought the original case on this issue from which the UFUSA appealed. These wins are only possible when workers are prepared to stand up, and Steve has done himself and our union proud by taking a stand.
This is now the second significant precedent set in cases directly argued by your UFUSA over the past two years, following the Barry decision. This is a record that UFUSA members are entitled to feel very proud of. At a time when many unions seem to have vacated the workers compensation field, your union has taken a leading role in fighting back. I believe this is the first case ever run directly by a union at the SA Court of Appeal and won.
Although we acknowledge that even with these wins the workers compensation system is not fair, it is certainly fairer for our efforts. We will continue to fight for the systemic change that is necessary to ensure that our members are treated with dignity and respect and not punished for getting injured or made ill in the course of their service.
Personal Protective Equipment:
Members will have seen the further safety alerts issued by the employer relating to personal protective equipment.
I have taken the step of notifying a dispute to the South Australian Employment Tribunal regarding SAMFS’s compliance with its obligations under safety law and regulations to provide suitable PPE, to maintain it, and to provide training and education related to it.
I am incredibly concerned by discoveries that we have made during the course of seeking to resolve this issue. It is simply unacceptable that a professional fire service had not revised its PPE related policies for near on 14 years. Ambiguity and uncertainty regarding whether the equipment has been properly inspected and repaired beggars belief.
We will continue to work constructively with the Chief Officer, and SAFECOM, to try to resolve the issue. If that isn’t possible, we will seek that the Tribunal orders solutions.
Whilst we continue to work on this issue, please do not take risks with PPE. And if you have concerns about work health and safety that you require assistance with, speak to your local HSR or our WHS Coordinator Alex through our office.
Squad 64 pay issues:
The UFUSA has been in contact with the Chief Officer regarding squad 64 and their pay progression, which for many did not occur when it ought to have.
I was advised that steps have been taken to rectify these issues (although whether that translates to people receiving their money without further action on our end remains to be seen).
The continued administrative errors relating to pays is not acceptable. Although the union will always take steps to ensure these issues are fixed when we become aware of them, we shouldn’t have to. Firefighters are entitled to sure that they will be paid correctly and on time.
Ventia deployments allowance case:
In a possible sign that pay issues are contagious the UFU recently lodged court proceedings relating to a failure of Ventia to pay members at Woomera base deployment allowances relating to their attendances at training.
This is a longstanding and well understood entitlement, and we will not tolerate its non-payment. Credit to our shop stewards at Woomera for their work in identifying this issue, and seeking rectification.
UFUSA subscriptions:
Members are reminded that further to the decision of last year’s annual general meeting subscriptions will increase by 5 percent effective from FFPP after 1 July 2026. The 2026 rises were adopted by the AGM to reflect when pay rises under the Agreement occur. For most members this will simply occur through your existing payroll deduction arrangements. For the few members that make direct payments, please contact our office to ensure you are paying the correct rate to avoid falling unfinancial.
Members are also reminded that union dues are tax deductable.
Next Shop Steward Meeting:
Shop Stewards are advised that the next shop stewards meeting will be held on Thursday 30 July 2026 at the UFUSA buildings, commencing at 10am.
We ask all shop stewards to attend where possible. If you need the UFUSA to arrange deployment, please contact our office.
The Shop Steward structure is vital to the union we’re building, and it’s critical that we’re able to get views from across all stations to the meeting to ensure that our democratic organisation remains strong. And again, if your station does not have a shop steward there’s never been a better time to get on board.
To assist with catering, we do ask for RSPVs to be sent to info@ufusa.com.au
In Solidarity,
