Sunday Mail

[Alan J]

Farfax Press chimes in.
http://www.independentweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/the-burning-issue-of-fire-funding-in-sa/1533296.aspx?src=enews

[SA Firey]

The more the public realise how worse off we are, the sooner something might get done, after all we are saving them a fortune in wages :evil:

You could hardly say the government is looking after its people :mrgreen:

[Alan J]

I wouldn't say that the government isn't looking after its people.
According to ABC radio yesterday, ministerial offices have been quarantined
from budget & staff cuts...

[Zippy]

ha ha ha,   Lets send the Ministerial offices staff to Hazardous Materials incidents....

[mattb]

Looks like another article in Saturday's Advertiser http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25661902-5006301,00.html

[Darren]

Good we may as well keep riding the wave, the SES have jumped in now which adds weight to the argument, I am just waiting for the CFS and the governments reply stating that everything is rosy.....any reason Euan gets Andy Lawson to reply to these things ?

[wombat34]

Think you will find that Euan was away on leave when the first round came through. See what happens this time.

[SA Firey]

Why should we pay for an increase in the levy where's the other $1 billion gone :evil:

[crashndash]

split between the other 4 or 5 services (depending on your view of DEH/SA Water) that share the funds....and when this $1.5 funding only  covered the cost of running 25% of the Emergency Services for that period...the Govt topped up the rest out of general revenue.....if you're going to sqawk about something..at least sound like you're informed about how your own service is funded.

Piss poor effort by the VFBA....selling the shortage of funds on the need to replace sheds...and community consultation....what a bunch of amateurs...please pay a Union Rep from the other side to come over and manage this....our part timers caould organise the proverbial with a fistfull of $50s

[SA Firey]

CFSVA most people I know cant get their head around the new name let alone the inaction of our so called "union" :-P

[Alan J]

Good we may as well keep riding the wave, the SES have jumped in now which adds weight to the argument, I am just waiting for the CFS and the governments reply stating that everything is rosy.....any reason Euan gets Andy Lawson to reply to these things ?

Euan didn't say everything is rosy at the Comm.Ed. sessions last weekend.
In fact, he seemed pretty embarrassed at the amounts going into brigade ops & comm.ed.
Especially comm.ed.

However (he didn't say, because as a ministerial appointee he isn't allowed to) his
hands are tied by the total amount allocated by government & the proportion of that
which is tied to interdepartmental charges & specific ministerial photo opportunity
items. Like large helicopters & so forth.  :evil:

Think about it folks.  The execs of all government departments are hired to execute
government policy.  Nay-saying the minister is career suicide.  The CO doesn't get
paid enough to cover the next 20 years of not being employable.

cheers

[Darren]

So I guess its back on the vols shoulders to fight for better conditions.

[rescue5271]

It looks with the some of the posting in Adelaide NOW that some members of the public are  not happy about how CFS staff take their work cars shopping and that some have kids seats in the back.Time the public found out that our staff who are on call still have a family life and when that pager or phone goes off they are out the door to the office or up for a 200km drive to get to job....They are not happy about CFS over spending but there is no mention of how much money MFS over spent........Come on media report the whole story and not just half of it.....

[chook]

And there lies your problem Bill, the public sees what looks like an abuse of privileges at the same time the CFS is asking for more money. The MFS on the other hand never complains about lack of resources, the union does! And the public can see the difference (most people are aware of how unions are supposed to work).
SAAS are the same, never complain - the union does their complaining for them when required :wink:
But when CFS wants money - it is reported as CFS officers/spokeperson are complaining. When the only people who should be saying anything on behalf of the vollies is the association/s. And sorry but the paid staff argument should be separated from the complaints of the volunteers. Instead maybe their union (if they have one) should be arguing for more staff, better conditions etc. The only time payed staff should be spoken of by the association, is "these tasks were once done by payed staff & now they are not". Finally your argument about being on call but having a family life, would not wash with the majority of the public as there are many in the private sector who are "on call" but don't get a tax payer funded company car to drive around in. They usually either a) get a car as part of their package or b) salary sacrifice one! I know it sucks but the public only sees what it wants to see - afterall it is their money thats being spent :wink: cheers

[JC]

Maybe its time for the vol's to get behind Euan and tell him to speak freely, and if the minister tries to sack you, they sack us to. No Vol's, No Service. Not sure a minister would want a walk out of an entire service hanging over his head.

It wouldn't even require the whole CFS. I personally believe that just a walk out of R1 vols would have the required impact. Seeing thats were this originated. Some may say its holding the government to ransom doing it this way, but if thats what it takes to get the message through that we are not going to put up with it any longer, then so be it.

F*#k it, I'm starting a Facebook group. "http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=206554085695"

[Zippy]

whats the link?

[JC]

Well crew, i've flicked a little marble down the hill, lets see if it can have the impact of a wrecking ball by the time it gets to the bottom.

[Bagyassfirey]

Bold Move My Friend well done and Good Luck it shall be interesting

[SA Firey]

This has to be a well planned and strategic fight to achieve the desired effect, and will only work if we are ALL passionate about our cause :wink:

[rescue5271]

Well may be someone needs to set a time and date for this MARCH/ PROTEST and get the ball rolling or are we all waiting on the SAVFBA?? I agree if EUAN wants to talk out let him but we all need to stand behind and support him this would be the only way that we can protect him from loosing his job...The problems effect all regions not just region one so if we are going to do we all need to stand up once and for all and do it before summer gets here.....

Not sure how true this is but I hear on the CFS VINE that CFS staff are joining the UFU has anyone heard this?????

[fridgemagnet]

as my Father always tell me there are no problems only solutions. About time the CFS stood up and made some noise if this true. I remember reading in a flyer that went around work that a site leader wanted us all to be serfs to our clients. That type of thinking shows how outdated some of the thinking in the public service. Unfortunately to many government departments subscribe to this type of medieval thinking, maybe a UFU action in the ranks will give the service a degree of creditability more so than will that other group (the VA).

If this is the case does this means that volunteers will be able to join considering how large the staff of the service is to give the UFU arguments more creditability when negiotating with mindless wonders of the government

[chook]

Great idea CFS staff joining the UFU (if its true), however be very careful being a vollie & joining the UFU not unless you want to see less vollies & more payed firies (remember the comments of the Victorian UFU after Black Saturday & the UFU campaign against the VRA in NSW). It goes against the union ethos to do something for nothing! And if you think working for the public sector is bad then the unions aren't much better. Far better to find out where the money has been spent, eg how much money was budgeted for training, how much training was planned & how much was delivered. There would be a start, another would be why CFS/SES stations cost far more to build than an equivilant "normal" buildings. The sweet heart state fleet deal that the emergency services were forced  into.
Anyway my guess is that senior staff will have more than enough to worry about, when the findings of the Black Saturday inquest are released.
cheers

[jaff]

Heres the thing, we have a group that is set to represent our interests,the CFSVA
and the only problem with the CFSVA is that all of the regions are not unified in addressing problems.
The outer regions (correct me if Iam wrong) arent concerned about some of the issues raised by regions 1 and 2, because it doesnt concern them! and vice-versa,  again small thinking, we need to think as a service, not just our region/group/brigade.
On just about every thread on this site someone is bagging the CFSVA, why?
Perhaps the reason they seem to be largely inaffective is that there is no unity.
Whether it be a union or the CFSVA they will both have the same problem, members of different regions being apathetic towards others issues and not being prepared to back their brothers!
How many commited posters on here would put their weight behind a militant campaign waged by the CFSVA, calling for marches on parliament house?
Before reinventing the wheel, would not getting behind a structure that is already in place be more effective, AGMs are coming up, if you feel like stirring things up become your group CFSVA rep, if all regions had militant minded members would things be different?

[chook]

Exactly Jaff, unions can be beaten just as easily as associations - management call it divide & conquer! If the service/government do feel threatened by recent bad press (I doubt it) then watch the real "trinkets" come out(new toys for those who are vocal)!
And you are right of course if people aren't happy with their association, fix it!
In retrospect I regret my actions against our association at the time (bad advice for someone I respected) - instead we should have joined and changed within!
And if all else fails, drive the vehicles to North tce and chuck all of the keys in a big bucket :-D

[crashndash]

Not sure how true this is but I hear on the CFS VINE that CFS staff are joining the UFU has anyone heard this?????

sorry Bill...as usual....not correct. The UFU in SA has a specific clause in its constitution that prohibits paid cfs staff from being members...nice try