A new deal struck between the Victorian Government and the United Firefighters Union will see the state’s firefighters entitled to up to almost 200 days leave a year.
The agreement will cost Victorian taxpayers $150m and allows for firefighters who have been in the job for more than two years to be eligible for up to 99 days of personal and sick leave per year.
The allowance comes in addition to 65 days of annual leave available as well as the opportunity to take up to four days off if a family member is sick or injured.
A new deal will see Victoria’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters entitled to up to 196 days of leave each year
The agreement allows for firefighters who have been in the job for more than two years to be eligible for up to 99 days of personal and sick leave per year in addition to 65 days of annual leave
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was quick to defend suggestions the deal, which includes a 19 per cent pay rise over the life of the agreement, was too generous saying the profession is an invaluable one to the state.
‘I make no apology for awarding firefighters. After all, they leave their families to run toward the danger to keep my family and every Victorian family safe,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘When you need a firefighter, you can’t pay them enough.’
The agreement also includes opportunities for staff to take up to 10 days of community service leave and five days of union training.
When added to the state’s 13 public holidays, this totals 196 days of potential leave each year.
By comparison, Victoria’s Police officers receive 45 days a year and the state’s paramedics are entitled up to 50.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been forced to defend the deal saying: ‘they leave their families to run toward the danger to keep my family and every Victorian family safe’
The deal comes after almost five years of uncertainty for Victoria’s firefighters in a back-and-forth between the Andrews Government, Metropolitan Fire Brigade, the Country Fire Authority and the United Firefighters Union.
Despite the welcome relief the conclusion had brought to all parties, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy called the deal a ‘stinking, rorting mess’.
He also repeated his pledge for a royal commission into the fire services if the coalition wins the Victorian election in November.
The MFB has been without an employment agreement since the old one expired in September 2013, more than a year before Andrews became Premier in late 2014.
The agreement comes after almost five years of uncertainty for the state’s professional firefighters, with the original employment agreement expiring in September 2013