Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) have agreed to suspend industrial action and enter facilitated mediation in their ongoing collective bargaining efforts.
Today’s agreement follows failed mediation between the two parties which saw firefighters across New Zealand walk off the job for an hour on two occasions in recent weeks.
More strikes were scheduled for this Friday between 11am and noon. They have now been cancelled.
“On Tuesday 30th August Minister Jan Tinetti brought Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) together to assist in finding a way forward in the current collective bargaining impasse,” the parties said in a joint statement this afternoon.
“The meeting was constructive and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution.”
The following was agreed:
- The parties will enter facilitated mediation with the assistance of an agreed independent mediator.
- All strike notices will be suspended and no further industrial action will continue or occur.
- FENZ will withdraw the request for facilitated bargaining through the Employment Relations Authority.
The agreement remains in place until September 30th 2022 or unless otherwise agreed, the parties said.
