Overworked, underpaid and at risk of cancer: Illawarra firefighters call for help

Dozens of firefighters, some arriving in a 20-year-old fire truck, lined the Princes Highway outside Minister Ryan Park's Corrimal office on Friday, June 21, to call help from the NSW Government.

Like paramedics and police, they're among the state's public sector employees to be offered a 10.5 per cent pay rise over three years, including a mandatory increase in superannuation payments, but they say it's simply not enough for the work they do.

Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters are rallying across the state in calls for better pay, conditions and for more workplace cancers to be recognised under NSW Presumptive Cancer Laws.

Legislation allows firefighters to claim workers compensation entitlements if they are diagnosed with one of 12 specific cancers - including brain, breast, testicular and leukaemia - but in some Australian states up to 22 cancers are recognised as more prevalent among firefighters.

"The government are dragging their feet on this and haven't come to the party, and we'd would like them to just sign off on that straight away," Fire Brigade Employees Union Illawarra sub branch secretary Andrew Clark said.

"We think that would be something that would be valuing and protecting professional firefighters."

Workload has increased dramatically during the past decade, Mr Clark said, including requests to assist other emergency services agencies such as paramedics, police and the SES.

"For over 10 years, we're had a wages cap, capped at a maximum of 2.5 per cent pay rise. We accepted them year-on-year," he said.

Mr Clark said the government's current offer is the equivalent of an annual three per cent pay rise.

"We are essentially going for double that. We think our contribution to the people of NSW, the value that we add by assisting other agencies in rescue, backing up volunteer agencies in rescue, in fires, in floods," he said.

FBEU's calls for a 20 per cent pay rise were rejected by the NSW Government two weeks ago and Friday's rally marked the start increased industrial action by union members.

At this stage the action will not affect the community, but it is a possibility if demands are not met, union members warn.

"Discussions between Fire and Rescue and the FBEU are continuing in good faith," Minister for Health, Illawarra and South Coast Ryan Park told the Mercury.

"We are committed to working with the FBEU to deliver an award that is modern, fair and sustainable and we look forward to the outcomes of those discussions.

Click on the photo below to see more pictures from the rally

"The NSW Government delivered firefighters their highest pay rise in over a decade in October last year with a 4.5 per cent, one-year agreement. Their award had expired under the previous government."

On Wednesday, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey dismissed concerns about higher raises after his second budget, which projects a $3.6 billion deficit next financial year followed by further shortfalls.

"The baseline offer, particularly when you include last year's 4.5 per cent (rise), is the fairest and best offer that any state government has made in the country and equally the best offer that's been made to the NSW public service in more than a decade," he said.

We're a "union town" and other unions will join forces to support you, South Coast Labor Council secretary Arthur Rorris told firefighters at the rally.

"We're here to say we're going to stick with you until you get what you deserve, the community values what you're doing," he said.

Mr Rorris said firefighters were the heroes of the community.

"Just just a few years ago with the Black Summer fires and then with COVID and everything in between, they're always there when we need them," he said.

"The question is, does this government value them?"

"We need to take care of them, we need to value them, we need to give them fair pay and we need to ensure that they have the best conditions that we can provide them. That's the least that we can do."