CODE 2, VOL 32, NO 19 : 04 june 2018

UFUQ submission to federal senate inquiry into mental health of emergency service workers

Your union is in the process of drafting submissions to the Australian Senate inquiry into the mental health of emergency service workers.

Our submissions will focus on Fire and Rescue Firefighters and Fire Communications Officers. 

The main topics will be bullying and harassment and PTSD.

We have ideas for the future of Fire and Rescue and Fire Communications work that could improve ‘One QFES’ ability to prevent both topics, and will put them in our submissions.

If you have ideas or solutions you’d like to raise with your union, we’d need them emailed to ufu@ufuq.com.au with the heading ‘mental health’ by the end of Wednesday 13 June, as the submissions are due on Wednesday 20 June 2018.

Your union is always working to identify ways to improve your employer’s management of your health and safety, and our submissions will include our position that you need to be engaged with in much better ways, and that you need to feel involved when thinking about your employment.

We are aware through the ‘Working For Queensland’ survey results that engagement could be vastly improved, and we think ‘One QFES’ could learn to proactively manage your health and safety in much better and more appropriate ways.  And we are aware from much research that improving these two areas appears to improve an organisation’s ability to manage and prevent both bullying and harassment and the symptoms of PTSD.

I will publish a copy of our submission to you after 20 June 2018.

Tax time - update your details

To ensure you receive your union fees statement, if you have changed your address or any of your contact details, including station, rank, bank account details or personal email address, please forward your changes to ufu@ufuq.com.au, update on our website by clicking here or contact your union office directly on 1800 816 589.

Please be aware that fire service pay office do not provide us with any of your changed details.

UFU Fee Increase

As decided by the State Committee of Management and in line with previous years, membership fees will increase on 1 July 2018 by 0.50c per week for professional firefighters and full time, part time and casual fire communication officers. Auxiliary firefighter fees will increase by 0.50c per month.

John Oliver - General Secretary