ca22 - update 4 - formal bargaining delayed again

28 July 2022

In my most recent update, I mentioned that formal authority to bargain was yet to be given by the state government to QFES.  This still has not occurred.

This means QFES claims have not been approved by the government for tabling. It also means they cannot bargain with unions on CA22 (they must have authority and approval to do so).

That also means the unions declined to present their claims, as we all thought this would advantage QFES, knowing what our claims were, without us having seen theirs.

It is now a day-by-day wait for that authority to arrive and as soon as it does, formal bargaining meetings can be organised and claims can be exchanged. All members will receive an email with claims presented by all those involved in bargaining CA22 within a day of those claims all being received by your union.

The delays are being caused by the machinery of getting QFES claims approved and the authority issued, for once this is not QFES fault.

The wage offer is now formally fixed, and I again say it is the best deal for firefighters in any agency across the country in the current economic climate. 

The original offer put by the government was the usual 3 x 2.5%, but heavy negotiations by your union and other public sector unions based on cost of living pressures resulted in the government moving to the offer as set out below.

The offer is -
1 July 2022 4% wage rise
1 July 2023 4% wage rise
1 July 2024 3% wage rise

These increases are also supported by a cash payment (capped at 3%) of the difference between the amount of the wage rise and the CPI percentage at the end of the March quarter in each year of the life of the agreement, with that difference paid into your account as a one off payment each year at some point between 1 April and 30 June.

The wage offer this time around differs from previous agreements, in that the total amount has been offered up front. This means bargaining for any additional money to be paid within this agreement will result in QFES paying that money themselves.

Everyone is looking forward to sharing claims and getting into the nitty-gritty of bargaining and I will keep you regularly updated if further delays occur.

John Oliver - General Secretary