Fire Brigade Employees' Union (FBEU) in Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia | Organisation

Fire Brigade Employees' Union (FBEU)

Locality: Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9218 3444

Address: 1-7 Belmore St 2010 Surry Hills, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.fbeu.net

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25.01.2022 May Day is just one week away. It won't be Nathan's first May Day march but it will be the first one he gets to bring his son to! We're looking forward to seeing members and their families for a great day of solidarity. We will be celebrating our collective wins and looking to the work ahead. This year’s Parramatta, Newcastle and Wollongong events are all on Saturday May 1. ... Register for your local events below: Parramatta: https://bit.ly/3sNAteO Newcastle: https://bit.ly/3xlW5me Wollongong: https://bit.ly/3en5BN7 Any questions - speak to your SCOM Rep, delegate or organiser. See you there!

25.01.2022 ICYMI: The missing Oran Park Fire Station and the story about it featuring FBEU Secretary Leighton Drury on the news last night that is!

24.01.2022 Statement from FBEU State Secretary Leighton Drury on the Bushfire Legislation Amendment Bill 2020: Yesterday the Bushfire Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 passed the NSW Parliament after the upper house made significant amendments that will lead to better outcomes for firefighters and the community. The Bill was introduced last week by Emergency Services Minister David Elliott without any consultation. The lack of consultation was apparent from a number of problematic provis...ions, including ‘industry brigades’, many of which had nothing to do with the NSW Bushfire Inquiry’s recommendations. After working closely with the opposition and cross-bench on amendments, I’m pleased to say that: - ‘industry brigades’ have been omitted, - firefighters and hazard reduction workers will now have representation through their unions on the Bush Fire Co-ordinating Committee, - there is a check and balance (a disallowance regulation) on the boundary clearing code, - and the Emergency Services Minister is now to report to Parliament every three months on the implementation of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry recommendations. I want to acknowledge Shadow Emergency Services Minister Trish Doyle MP for her work in getting these amendments negotiated. It’s a shame the NSW Coalition Government hasn’t taken the Bushfire Royal Commission or NSW Bushfire Inquiry seriously enough to make the very real changes we need but our work on this legislation has at least stopped the Government from making things worse.

21.01.2022 They've said their thank-yous and praised the work of firefighters throughout bushfires and the pandemic but at every opportunity, the NSW Coalition Government has attacked our pay. So yesterday's State Budget was unsurprisingly disappointing. Public sector workers will see no real wage increase with a 0.3% wage freeze followed by a 1.5% wage cap. And NSW's professional firefighters will see no real investment in us or our service despite the very clear need.... The highlight in the Treasurer's speech was a renouncement of the $192m in response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry, most of which is not for professional firefighters. We deserve better and so does the community.

20.01.2022 As we’ve been saying - the NSW Government has failed to adequately invest in fire services and firefighters... From this very interesting article: NSW fire services spent less than 80 per cent of the amount allocated by Victorian organisations on staffing and capital costs, but had to respond to nearly twice the number of fires and other incidents last year. https://www.smh.com.au//dropped-the-ball-nsw-fire-services

20.01.2022 ICYMI - FBEU Secretary, Leighton Drury, did a few rounds with Sharri Markson on Sky this weekend. He talks about the bushfire crisis, fire service funding, thirty-year old trucks, firefighter pay and more. Have a watch.

20.01.2022 Swift backlash from firefighters, their union, and the local community has seen Fire and Rescue quickly backpeddle on their plan to move two fire trucks from the Blue Mountains. They're now saying the trucks will stay where they are - for this fire season. It means we still have work to do to keep these appliances where they are, and to get other areas the resources they need and deserve.

20.01.2022 Not enough hospital beds. Not enough paramedics. Plans to use already stretched firefighters as a bandaid fix. It all comes down to the funding decisions of the NSW Government.

19.01.2022 "If the Hawkesbury, if Windsor, if Wallerawang, if other areas need fire trucks the expectation from our community is that those resources are provided." Thanks to Trish Doyle MP for speaking this morning on the need to ensure every community's fire service has the resources it needs. It's not good enough to simply move things around trying to plug holes.... It's up to the NSW Government to ensure our firefighters and our fire service have what they need to do their job properly and keep communties safe.

19.01.2022 Q and A are doing a bushfire Special without a firefighter on the Panel... Interesting decision. What questions do you think the panel should be asked next Monday? Maybe Andrew Constance could explain how he feels about his Government's general failure (As reported this week - NSW Fire Services have 80% of the funding of Victoria's - and respond to more incidents) to adequately invest in professional firefighters and fire services over the last almost decade?

17.01.2022 Firefighters worked at the frontline of the NSW Bushfire Crisis. Teachers and nurses are at the frontline of COVID19. We are keeping people as safe as possible in very difficult times.... We are not highly paid. We spend our money. Taking $3 billion from pay packets effectively cutting our pay - is not good for us, and it’s not good for the economy. Cutting our pay shows a complete lack of respect for us and for the work we do, protecting our community - when you most need us.

17.01.2022 Moving fire trucks from the Blue Mountains and cutting jobs with it. It makes no sense. Every community should have the safety of a properly resourced fire service, and every firefighter should have what they need to do their job properly.

16.01.2022 The proposal to use firefighters at the frontline of medical emergency responses without the proper training and resources is a bandaid fix for shortages in the NSW Ambulance service. FBEU members welcome all reasonable discussions about growing our capabilities as a service but sending firefighters to medical emergencies because of a fundamentally budgetary and resourcing issue is not on. The community deserves better. We spoke with the Shadow Health Minister last week about... this issue. We also want to acknowledge members in our CFR stations in some areas of regional NSW who perform additional duties and are trained and paid to do so.

16.01.2022 Meet the most remote professional firefighters in NSW (and possibly the country)! Go Wentworth.

15.01.2022 Cutting NSW Public Sector workers’ pay - including the pay of firefighters - will deepen the recession... and yet, here we are.

15.01.2022 Lest we forget.

14.01.2022 Redfern Station (010) needs a massive Reno, there is no doubt about it, but we can’t stand by and let a station, so important in the local community be closed. And we won’t. The Government needs to invest in renovating or rebuilding Redfern Fire Station. There’s a great article in the Sydney Morning Herald about the rumoured closure, or, ahem, amalgamation as it is apparently being described with Alexandria 013. ... Here’s a quote from Secretary Leighton Drury from the article The firefighters union said the station was set to be relocated to Alexandria and accused the agency of attempting to close it by failing to spend money on an upgrade. "Redfern Station is suffering from what can only be described as demolition by neglect," Fire Brigade Employees Union state secretary Leighton Drury said. https://www.smh.com.au//demolition-by-neglect-plan-to-move

14.01.2022 Announcement after announcement for this Western Sydney Fire Station, one of many needed, and despite the huge development in the community the promised fire station has nothing but a sign. Appalling.

12.01.2022 It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow. There’s nothing FBEU members love more than our (safe and effective minimum) crew. Show your co-workers your love by popping this Valentine’s Card on their lockers. Happy Valentine’s Day to all the FBEU members out there turning-out together, safely. Also Happy Valentine’s day to the FBEU Industrial Team and the members giving evidence in our ongoing fight about In-Orders 08/22 (which will be linked to minimum crewing) and the teams who hav...e fended off ridiculous cuts proposed for the Award. P.S. No love for FRNSW and the Government who are one way or another coming for your safe and effective minimum crewing.

11.01.2022 Arthur Rorris from the South Coast Labour Council "It's easy to see that if you reduce the amount of money in people's pockets, you can't rebuild businesses looking for customers spending," Rorris said. "What kind of a bushfire stimulus is this when you give with one hand and take away with the other - it's counter-intuitive."... What's even more galling is that these nurses, firies, police and teachers have been at the forefront of our response and recovery in recent months, earning high - and deserved - praise from all corners. Not to mention that some of their bosses have recently enjoyed significant pay rises that haven't received as much praise from the community. Pay freezes meaning real cuts to wages people spend make no sense. Not for frontline workers and not for our economy. You can’t stimulate a bushfire ravaged community’s economy with praise.

10.01.2022 Yesterday Jason Clare, the Federal Labor member for Blaxland, shared this image. It’s now everywhere. Blaxland is in Western Sydney and FBEU firefighters work at stations across this Federal Electorate including Fire and Rescue NSW Station 062 Bankstown and Fire and Rescue NSW Station 085 Chester Hill. There’s huge community support for firefighters, and other frontline public sector workers, on Jason’s Original post here: https://www.facebook.com//a.16836142670/144425851...9115326/ Under the NSW Liberal Government’s wage policy the pay of firefighters has not been keeping up with the cost of living. Now, after the fires, and now COVID19, the Liberals want to FREEZE our pay - which basically means a pay cut. This is bad for us. It is bad for the economy. And it’s disrespectful. Put simply.

09.01.2022 We are fighting against proposed wage freezes and cuts for professional frontline firefighters meanwhile RFS chief Rob Rogers had his total annual remuneration lifted from $403,905 to $450,012 on July 13 https://www.smh.com.au//rural-fire-service-commissioner-sn

07.01.2022 What he said...

06.01.2022 Promises. Promises. Now would be a perfect time to commit to public service infrastructure, like this promised Fire Station, good for the community, good for the economy. But yeah.

06.01.2022 A cut is the last thing frontline workers deserve I was proud to stand alongside Nurses and Fireys this morning against the Berejiklian Government's move to cut their pay. NSW Labor will be doing everything we can to stop these cruel and irresponsible cuts.

06.01.2022 Flammable cladding, firefighting and the FBEU in the news: Here’s a couple of quotes from the article: The Fire Brigade Employees Union said the high number of buildings requiring an upgraded response meant firefighting resources were stretched thinner across Sydney.... "Cladding is one of the primary risks. The cladding jobs are highly resourced and intense," the union's state secretary, Leighton Drury, said. The Victorian government is spending $600 million to fix dangerous cladding. Ms Stiles urged the NSW government to follow and commit money to help people fix buildings clad in risky material, which she said would also act as an economic stimulus. "It must do it now not tomorrow or next month or next year," she said. https://www.google.com.au//flammable-cladding-on-sydney-to

05.01.2022 This NSW Government are causing this with their narrow minded policies.

05.01.2022 Happy May Day. The FBEU has a great tradition of participating in May Day activities. May Day is the day we celebrate workers and unions and our achievements and look to the challenges ahead. This years official May Day marches and events have largely been cancelled or adapted to an online event. You may be interested in participating in this UnionsNSW event tonight: https://www.mayday2020.digital/. ... May Day is all about solidarity and I am very proud to lead the mighty FBEU as we have faced such incredible times including standing together through the Bushfires, CoVid-19, and with a returned anti-worker Liberal Government and their wage policy. Solidarity has many meanings. We show our solidarity through this pandemic by following the restrictions to prevent Covid 19. This helps our comrades on the frontline that are dealing with Covid. Solidarity also means us committing to be strong and organised always buiding our power. Our building delegate structures and seeing more and more members engaged and active is one of the highlights of my time so far in leading the FBEU. And, we are only just beginning. I thank all those members who have put their hand up as delegates and who have been elected by members in your stations and groups. You are key to us being able to take on the issues that matter most to all members. Solidarity, Unity, and Happy May Day to all. Leighton. Here’s a few pictures from some recent May Day Marches and Events. I look forward to marching again with you soon.

05.01.2022 International Workers' Memorial Day remembers those who have died from a work-related injury or illness. Not only do firefighters face unique risks as a frontline emergency service but they are also often the ones on the scene of workplace accidents. So we remember the dead and fight like hell for the living because every worker has the right to a safe job.

04.01.2022 On Friday, after our employer withdrew from discussions, the FBEU took action to minimise the risks of COVID19 to ourselves and our communities. Because it’s the right thing to do. In addition to putting on a ban, we’ve asked to continue discussions with management and filed for the assistance of the Industrial Relations Commission - we are in the IRC today. It’s a strange world where it is firefighters taking these sensible actions to minimise the risks of the spread of a ...global pandemic and having to seek the assistance of the same Industrial Relations Commission who is busy hearing the NSW Government’s case to effectively cut our pay. Firefighters, however, will continue to do the right thing, by each other, and our communities. Here’s news about the issue out of Tamworth: https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au//firefighters-fea/ (The article is paywalled - we are including the copy in the comments).