The World Health Organisation (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) yesterday officially declared firefighting as a cancer-causing profession.

The meeting of UFUSA Shop Stewards and State Councillors held yesterday was very well attended and Members will be proud to know of the personal time and commitment your elected representatives continue to dedicate to pursuing your interests and their passionate engagement in seeking the best outcomes for members.

As previously advised a meeting of UFUSA Shop Stewards and State Councillors to receive a report back on enterprise bargaining negotiations will take place today at 10:00 hours at the UFUSA office, 148 South Road Torrensville.

As stated in Wordback No 17, it is not unreasonable for firefighters to hope and expect that MFS management will step up and play a proper role in progressing the resolution of our long overdue EA, however the disappointment deepens with the failure of MFS Chief Officer Morgan to respond to the request for him to participate to progress enterprise negotiations for the Service and for Firefighters.

Many members have reportedly been pleased to host visits to fire stations around the state by our Emergency Services Minister who has been busy getting out and about across his portfolio, and your State Council were very pleased to welcome Minister Joe Szakacs when he visited us during the May 2022 meeting of the UFU State Council.

The United Fire Fighters Union of South Australia is proud to support the Mothers Day Classic once again; the MDC is a fun, healthy and inspirational event bringing communities together across Australia to support and remember those affected by breast cancer.

In 1999 the date May 4th was designated International Firefighters’ Day as it is the feast day of St Florian, the Patron Saint of Firefighters.

Our union has been in contact with both the government and the MFS in relation to the early resumption of enterprise agreement negotiations with a view to seeking a resolution of outstanding matters and in particular the resolution of our wage claim.

As members may know I am not usually lost for words, however reflecting on the commitment and effort of UFU members throughout our safety and resourcing campaign, including hitting the streets and most recently attending polling booths in the 2022 SA election, I come very close.

Thank you to all those of you who have taken the opportunity to send a message to your state election candidates and to encourage family

Your UFU State Council yesterday received and unanimously endorsed a report on the response by Labor to our safety and resourcing concerns and what Labor commits to, should they form the next government following the 19 March election.

CiVS Declaration of Result 28 February 2022
Proposed Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2022

ELECTRONIC BALLOT ON EA CLOSES TOMORROW MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2022 AT 17:00 HOURS

Today saw the launch of our media campaign ‘Don’t Watch Our Firefighters Burn – Help Us Protect

A number of those gathered took the opportunity to speak directly to the Minister for Emergency Services about the difficulties experienced by firefighters with one member respectfully pointing out that in over 30 years of service he has never seen such a bad situation or such poor morale in the MFS.

As reported in Wordback No 03/2022, a myriad of important questions raised by UFUSA members in relation to COVID matters have been directed by your union to the SAMFS Chief Officer, without a response to date. Disappointingly with recent events, the questions continue to mount.

Members who may not have caught up with Wordback 02/2022 will find details of the offer therein and considerations raised by the meeting of UFUSA State Councillors and Shop Stewards held on Monday, 31 January 2022.

Very best wishes are extended to all members at the commencement of the 2022 New Year with the hope that with the turning of the calendar, come new opportunities to go forward with new resolve to make this a better world.

It is an understatement to say that it is disappointing to end the year on a bitter note however that is the experience of many SAMFS members suffering at the hands of the employer in many and various issues throughout the year.

President Chas Thomas warmly welcomed 18 new firefighters to our ranks last week, with hearty congratulations on the successful completion of the demanding Recruit Training in decidedly challenging circumstances.

Diesel exhaust in MFS stations has been a significant health and safety issue for many years with Diesel Particulate Matter having been declared a Category 1 Carcinogen in 2012 by the World Health Organisation.

The UFUSA and UFUA SA Branch Annual General Meetings are scheduled for tomorrow Thursday, 9 December 2021 commencing at 10:00 hours at the union office.

The meeting of UFU Shop Stewards and State Councillors held last week was very well attended and we thank our elected representatives for the job they do in the interests of firefighters, very often in their own time and often wrestling with prickly issues.

Meetings for negotiations on the Enterprise Agreement (EA) have continued however as reported to the UFUSA Conference in September 2021, stonewalling and game playing continues to be the order of the day from the employer rather than genuine negotiation.

Further to Wordback No 45/2021 issued this morning, the UFU is pleased to report that correspondence has been received from the employer this afternoon which now commits to implementation of all the recommendations of the SA Employment Tribunal of 1 November 2021.

On 27 October the UFU & SAMFS / DTF (the employer) attended a SA Employment Tribunal conference about the dispute where SAMFS unfairly demoted members from SFQ Level 2.

In the absence of a satisfactory response from the employer to the matters in dispute and to fight for an enterprise agreement outcome that makes sure this can’t happen again, industrial actions will escalate from tomorrow Friday, 22 October 2021 at 08:00 hours.