You may recall from our recent bulletin that the PSA sought an urgent meeting with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) over an alleged directive to implement changes to District Duty/On-Call rosters.

This meeting was held on Friday, 21 June 2024.

The PSA raised significant concerns regarding this proposal, which included fatigue management, work health and safety, and the lack of governance in relation to Duty and On-Call Rosters within RFS. Also discussed was the critical absence of the necessary underpinning policies and procedures to guide both staff and managers in maintaining safe, fair, and equitable rosters.

Additionally, it was learnt that a second alleged directive concerning white fleet vehicles had been issued, which would potentially contradict existing government and RFS policy. The proposed changes would likely negatively impact the operational capability of RFS staff, particularly their ability to deploy quickly to support volunteers and manage incidents.

During the meeting, it was agreed that RFS senior management would instruct Area Commanders to maintain the current roster arrangements which has since occurred.

Commitment to sub-committee – Duty/On- Call Roster

The PSA and RFS have committed to establishing a subcommittee within the Joint Consultative Committee to develop the necessary governance arrangements that are currently lacking in the Duty/On-Call Roster across the service.

The PSA would like to express our gratitude to the RFS for rolling back these proposals and their commitment to taking a collaborative approach to resolving the matter.

We will continue to keep you informed of any further developments.

The power of the union – encourage your colleagues to join

This issue could only be resolved because active members raised concerns with the union, and PSA staff and delegates acted swiftly to take it direct to senior management.

If you have colleagues that have not yet joined, now is the time to encourage them to be part of a strong and growing union.