CODE 2, VOL 36, NO 9 : 13 May 2022

QFES IN A PANIC – TRYING TO CONTROL WHAT UFUQ CAN AND CANNOT DISPUTE!

As you will no doubt recall, on Wednesday 27 April 2022, the UFUQ notified QFES of a dispute relating to the recent flawed recruitment and selection process that completely disregarded the vital requirement for regional Assistant Commissioners to have professional firefighting qualifications and experience. You can find my initial update to members, including a copy of our correspondence to Commissioner Leach here.

On Tuesday 10 May 2022, we received a reply from QFES claiming that the UFUQ has no standing to raise the dispute regarding Assistant Commissioner positions. This is an attempt to try to control what the UFUQ can and cannot be consulted on, and to decide for us what we can and cannot dispute.

Today, Friday 13 May 2022, your union informed QFES that they are wrong again. We clearly have standing to raise the dispute and we will continue to fight for our members.

What I would like to know is why do we have radio silence from all the other Assistant Commissioners who are professional firefighters? Do they forget where they came from?  Are they now kowtowing to those in senior QFES management who’ve never held a hose as qualified firefighters, to prevent you and your colleagues from ever again getting off-station into AC or higher positions?

Once again, it is left to the UFUQ to stand up and fight back.

I will of course keep you updated as this develops.

John Oliver - General Secretary

Authorised by John Oliver General Secretary 
United Firefighters' Union of Australia, Union of Employees QLD