FIRE COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE - 20 november 2020

UPDATE: IMPLEMENTATION OF FIRECOM ROSTER PRINCIPLES AND CA19 PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

Further to the Fire Communications Update published on 6 November 2020, regarding the implementation of Firecom roster principles and the commencement of the CA19 part-time employment conditions, I am pleased to report the following update to members –

A part-time arrangement form has now been published to facilitate the discussions between FCMs and part-time employees required by clause 102(f) of CA19.

The relevant form is OBM 179 Firecom – Part-time Hours of Work/Work Pattern Agreement which can be found on the QFES gateway here.

The UFUQ encourages all part-time members to contact your FCMs immediately (if you haven’t been contacted by your FCM already) about meeting to reach agreement on your part-time arrangement in accordance with clause 102(f) of CA19.

I remind all members that the UFUQ is available to support you in those discussions. If you require assistance, do not hesitate to contact our office on 07 3844 0366 (or toll free on 1800 816 589) or at ufu@ufuq.com.au.

The following matters are also being finalised this week –

• The administrative processes required to ensure the agreed peer to peer shift swap policy is ready to be published on the QFES gateway on 23 November 2020, and
• The administrative processes required to finalise the published version of the roster principles document, including attaching a copy of clause 102 of CA19 as Appendix A and the peer to peer shift swap policy as Appendix B to ensure it is ready to be published on the QFES gateway on 23 November 2020.

Over the next two weeks, the UFUQ will also be working with QFES to develop an FAQ, as discussed during the roadshow, and some quick reference material on wages information for part-time employees. I will provide further updates on the progress of these matters as more information comes to hand.

I thank you all again for your patience regarding this project, but it appears we are almost there. We are on track for implementation to commence on Monday 23 November 2020.

While there will be a transitional period, particularly for any rosters published prior to this date, any new rosters and/or rostering decisions will need to be drafted, proposed, published and/or made in accordance with the roster principles from Monday.

No doubt there will be teething issues as we all become familiar with the new rostering practices prescribed in the roster principles document, but I encourage members to notify the UFUQ of any issues that arise so that we can work with you and QFES to resolve them as quickly as possible.

John Oliver - General Secretary

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