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Wattie Watson: Professional Firefighters’ Union National Secretary on the firefighters' strike
Description
The firefighters union says workers don't want to strike, but Fire and Emergency needs to take their concerns seriously.
Professional firefighters will walk off the job for an hour at midday on October 17th –protesting pay, staffing, and ageing equipment.
The previous offer from Fire and Emergency was 5.1% over three years, made in June.
Further bargaining is set for the end of next week.
Professional Firefighters’ Union National Secretary Wattie Watson told Kerre Woodham in reality the offer would’ve been over five years, not three, as they haven’t had a pay rise since 2023, meaning it would actually be less than 5.1%.
She says it’s a sinking lid kind of scenario, the longer it takes to ratify the pay increase, the less it is.
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