Fire union issues alert on boss

A fire union has warned members to have someone else present when having a meeting with a manager who is facing allegations of bullying.

It follows several complaints of bullying or harassment between firefighters in recent years, some of which have ended up before the Employment Relations Authority.

This week, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union Auckland Local Committee issued an alert on its website, urging members not to attend any meetings alone with the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) manager.

“The Local is aware that [the manager] has had at least three complaints of bullying behaviour against him,” the memo said. “Two of these involve members.”

Auckland Local Committee secretary John Waldow said the union believed it necessary to issue the warning about the manager, who the Herald on Sunday is not naming.

“We feel that we need to protect our members if they have any dealings with this person,” Waldow said.

One of the complaints, made by a fire investigator, is understood to have prompted an investigation by Fenz and a decision on the report is expected next week.

Waldow said the union was concerned there had been no resolution after almost 12 months.

He could not detail the alleged behaviour but called the complaints “legitimate and genuine”.

The manager said through a Fenz spokesman he did not wish to comment. Fenz said it could not comment on “employment matters”.

Waldow said the memo was taken down from the NZPFU website on Friday at the instruction of the union’s national president, Peter Nicole.

Nicole did not return calls.