SWAN Hill’s volunteer firefighters want new Emergency Services Minister James Merlino to address them on Wednesday night as they continue to oppose the State Government’s controversial bargaining agreement with the career firefighters’ union.
On Friday, previous Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett resigned and her replacement Mr Merlino immediately dismissed the Country Fire Authority board after it refused to sign the agreement.
The State Government has taken a hard-line approach to ending the three-year dispute.
A last-minute legal injunction by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) means a resolution on the agreement is now unlikely to found before June 22 — the date it will go to the CFA’s 800 paid firefighters for a vote.
Volunteer firefighters will meet at the Swan Hill Fire Station on McCallum Street at 6.30pm Wednesday, to discuss their opposition to the deal.
VFBV state vice-president and Swan Hill firefighter Graeme Jilbert challenged Mr Merlino to attend the meeting, which Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh also expected to attend.
“We’ve also asked for a Labor representative and we have given James Merlino the opportunity to speak,” Mr Jilbert said.
“(The UFU) can come and have their say.”
For more on this story pick up a copy of Monday’s Guardian (June 13, 2016).
