Fleur Fitzsimons: PSA National Secretary on the proposed restructure of Fire and Emergency NZ

It's feared Fire and Emergency's proposed restructure will leave New Zealanders less safe. 

It's expected to impact about 700 roles, with a net loss of 140. 

No frontline firefighter positions will be affected but some supporting functions may change. 

PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons told Ryan Bridge the jobs under threat work on prevention, operational response, and wildfires. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
FENS is proposing to cut more than one hundred jobs
nothing on the front line. They say it needs to
save seventy million dollars a year, ten percent of its
annual budget. Eight hundred million. Of this, the majority, vast majority,
comes from levies that we pay through insurance FLURF. That
Simon's is the PSA National secretary with me this morning
for good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
There's a difference between how many jobs they say are
on the line and how many. You say, what's the difference?
Why the difference?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
So we've counted through their document. There are two hundred
and sixty page document. We've looked at the number of
roles we think are going and new roles being created.
We tried to check those numbers with FENDS, but they
wouldn't give us confirmation. But actually we say none of
these jobs should be going because by reducing these roles,
we will make New Zealanders less safe when it comes
to protecting us from natural hazards and fires and emergencies.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
So they say a net one hundred and forty positions,
you're saying how many.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
We say a net loss of one six y nine.
But regardless, New Zealand cannot afford to lose these specialists.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
All right, So what jobs are we talking about? Not frontline?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Right, there are sorts of jobs that work on prevention,
operational response. We're seeing them get rid of wildfire specialists.
We're really concerned that the people that support the front line,
so the people that for example, do the administrative work
around volunteer firefighters, are being cut significantly. Some of those
people have been there for thirty years, They've learnt how

(01:25):
to do their job very very well, they do it
very efficiently. They've given a lot of service to New
Zealand and we're just throwing them on the scrap peek.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
It's unreal how many wildfire specialists do we have and
how many would be we be reduced to.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
This is the thing with this proposal. A lot of
the numbers are a lot of the roles going are
putting jobs into other roles. So lifted throughout the proposal
is other people will pick up this work. So there
will still definitely be a core of people left at FENS.
But actually ten percent reduction in a workforce is decimating
that works. The test of what decimating is it is

(02:05):
decimating this workforce.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Many of what what's the test of decimating. Sorry, ten
percent is considered decimating a workforce.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, it's a military term and it is it is
what you can what you do to make something less effective,
and that is what they are doing. They are driving
down effectiveness.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Of size doesn't mean efficiency. Size doesn't mean you're doing
a good job. A good job is done when a
good job is done. So the question is the question
is are these jobs mission critical and FENS seems to
be saying they're not.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
SENS has had this forced on them by the government
that is forcing these cuts. FENS doesn't think that it
can operate in this way in the Why.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Why is the government forcing these cuts when the vast
majority of their funding comes from us through levees?

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, the government refused to let sends increase the levee
they are also requiring further cuts. It is a dereliction
of duty by Brook van Valden. Her job is to
make sure that Fire and Emergency in New Zealand can
keep New Zealand as safe from fires and natural disasters.
Her job is not to force these kind of cuts
that will make it less able to do its core functions.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
All right, FLU appreciate your times wanting flu fit Simons
from the PS eight. For more from Early Edition with
Ryan Bridge, listen live to News Talks at BE from
five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio