Oldest, youngest join strike; love job but not management
DUNEDIN’S youngest firefighter says she loves her job but not how frontline firefighters are treated by management, as firefighters walked off the job for the second time in as many weeks yesterday.
Senior Firefighter Izzi Priest Forsyth (26), of Roslyn station, said she was striking along with professional firefighters across the country to protest working conditions.
Over 100 past and present firefighters gathered with supporters outside Dunedin City station for the hour long walkoff at 11am yesterday.
She was the youngest firefighter in the Dunedin area and had joined the career as a 20yearold because she wanted to help people.
‘‘Noone is a firefighter for any other reason, really,’’ she said.
It was the best job in the world and she would not want to do anything else.
However, she believed the low starting wages formed a barrier to young people joining.
They needed a living wage to cope with high housing costs, inflation and to build a life.
‘‘People just need a living wage, really.’’
Senior Firefighter Izzi Priest Forsyth
Ultimately the strike was about working conditions more than anything else, she said.
Safety, a lack of recognition for occupational cancer, staffing levels, equipment problems and the strain of attending medical callouts were all among reasons for the strike.
‘‘I don't think that we're asking for much — I think the conditions that we're asking for are reasonable and not above what you'd expect,’’ she said.
Dunedin’s oldest firefighter, Qualified Firefighter Allan McNeill (67), of Dunedin City station, said he joined in 1978.
It was harder now for the career to attract new recruits, especially those with well developed skill sets, than in years gone by.
The whole organisation had become very top heavy, he said.
His message for Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s (Fenz) senior management was to ‘‘remember where you came from’’, as many had started their careers in the same stations that were now striking.
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) Dunedin local president and Senior Station Officer Antony Mason said career firefighters had mixed emotions about the strike, which was something they did not want to be doing.
‘‘This falls squarely on the shoulders of our senior managers, our executive leadership team and the board of Fire and Emergency,’’ he said.
Fenz had walked away from mediation, and their appli
❛ ‘I don't think that we're asking for much, I think the conditions that we're asking for are reasonable and not above what you'd expect
cation for facilitated bargaining would likely extend the dispute and had taken the union by surprise, SSO Mason said.
Fenz National Commander Russell Wood said in a statement it was fortunate that no serious events happened during the strike.
He urged NZPFU to ‘‘participate constructively’’ in the facilitated bargaining process as it was the fastest and most effective way to reach a practical and fair resolution.
Mediation had effectively broken down and the parties had reached an impasse, NC Wood said.
He was ‘‘disappointed and dismayed at the level of misinformation being spread around about pay and conditions’’.
‘‘We are in the middle of a prolonged and protracted industrial dispute. I understand people feel strongly about the issues, but the extreme, inaccurate and even alarmist language is not helping,’’ NC Wood said.
NZPFU has warned two further onehour strikes are planned for September 2 and 9.