AUXILIARY UPDATE : 08 august 2024

25% CASUAL LOADING – UPDATE

I am pleased to report that your union through our work with the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) has been involved in an application to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) for a General Ruling (a decision) to raise the casual loading for auxiliary firefighters from 23% to 25%.

The application was made in May 2024, and on 7 August, a hearing was held at QIRC where the state government agreed with the application.

This means we are now waiting on the QIRC to publish a General Ruling, and it is likely that will happen in the very near future. The lift from 23% to 25% will likely take effect from the day the General Ruling is published.

As soon as we have the General Ruling, I will provide a further update to you.


STATE WAGE CASE 2024 – UPDATE

On 4 June 2024, your union supported the QCU in its application to the QIRC for a 3.75% wage rise for auxiliary firefighters. As always, the state government will provide their version of what you should receive and hearings will be held at QIRC, with the first hearing scheduled for 3 September 2024.

Whatever the final figure is (as set by the QIRC), it is likely that the wage rise will be backdated to, and apply from, 1 September 2024.  The new amount will apply to your wages, and to your retention allowance and the captains and on-call allowances.

This process is likely to take a month or two.  But we are confident that this year’s state wage case process is unlikely to take as long as the 2023 process, which stretched well into 2024, meaning your wage rise from 2023 was significantly delayed, but you will recall you received back pay to 1 September 2023 when it finally took effect.

I will provide a further update following the hearing on 3 September.


APPLICATION TO VARY THE AUXILIARY FIREFIGHTERS’ AWARD

You may have heard that an individual auxiliary firefighter has lodged an application with the QIRC to have the commission review the Auxiliary Firefighters’ Award – State 2016 (award). 

I wanted to take this opportunity to inform all members that your union and QFD already commenced formal discussions with QFD on 10 July 2024. Those discussions are about updating the award, given QFD are seeking some changes (introduction of a group captain concept and also dedicated auxiliary training positions into the award).  Your union also seeks to review, update, and introduce a range of provisions into, the award. The first meeting was held to scope out the matters both QFD and the UFUQ sought to have considered. Three further meetings have been programmed to continue the discussions.

All auxiliaries will be provided with an opportunity to provide input to the UFUQ work on the award, via your auxiliary representatives, who will collate the information you suggest. You will receive a separate auxiliary update about this in the near future.

Awards can only be varied in certain ways, and the best way is what is called a ‘consent application’, where both your union and QFD go to the QIRC and ask for the same thing to be changed or introduced into the award.  Another way is to ask the QIRC to conduct a review (this is what the individual application has done), but the QIRC is extremely unlikely to do this without direct involvement and input from your union and QFD. Another way is a forced change by a party to the award, but while this can also be attempted this is usually fought by the other parties to the award.

Your union will advise the QIRC Registry that we intend to join the application that’s been lodged by the individual, and we will appear at the first discussion being held by the QIRC, which is due to occur on 23 August 2024.

And again, I will keep you fully informed as this process works its way through the QIRC.

John Oliver - General Secretary