Firefighters hold protest over pay claim

Firefighters from the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service held their first weekly protest on Thursday after declaring a dispute with the Gibraltar Government over a long-running claim for a night-shift disturbance allowance.

Unite the Union said the current all-inclusive firefighter salary failed to recognise operational roles that routinely provide overnight emergency response as part of a 24-hour service.

GFRS firefighters say the pay structure does not recognise the additional disruptive impact associated with these working patterns on health and family life, or growing demands arising from Gibraltar’s changing urban landscape, including high-rise buildings that place onerous demands on personnel.

They also highlight the needs for the GFRS to ensure specialist training to cover other risk areas such as maritime firefighting, pointing out too that other public sectors, and fire services elsewhere, receive additional payments or allowances recognising night-shift working and operational disruption.

Unite and GFRS representatives have been engaged in discussions with the Government and had offered what they described as “a fair, structured and cost-effective approach with minimal financial impact”.

But Unite said this was rejected without explanation or rationale, leaving its members with no option but to take industrial action within the limited scope available to them.

Off-duty personnel plan to hold protests every Thursday to highlight their claim for 7.5% additional compensation to reflect the night-shift disturbance.

The union said firefighters were not asking for special treatment but rather “fair recognition” of the demands of delivering a 24-hour emergency service.

Yesterday, around 40 firefighters marched from the fire station to No.6 Convent Place, complete with banners and sirens.

Among those who stopped to talk to protestors were GSD MPs Joelle Ladislaus and Craig Sacarello.

No one from the Government stepped out to talk to the protestors but No.6 Convent Place later issued a statement rejecting the claim and expressing disappointment at the decision to “escalate” the dispute.

“The Government has explicitly and clearly reiterated that industrial action will not alter its position that the claim for a 7.5% pay rise on the basis that they are required to work night shifts is unsubstantiated and unjustified,” it said in the statement.

“Furthermore, in pursuing their unreasonable industrial action with the aim of further increasing their already high salaries, Unite have today taken taxpayer-funded equipment without permission for the sole purpose of giving extra visibility to their protest.”

The Government said existing GFRS pay structures are “already generous and fair”.

It published a full list of GFRS salaries and said the average pay across the service was £70,061.
“The Government’s position remains that GFRS salaries are all-inclusive and compensates for the full range of operational requirements inherent in the role, including shift work and night duties,” No.6 said in the statement.

“Furthermore, its personnel already receive a number of allowances and premiums in addition to their basic salary and overtime arrangements, many of which are personal to holder allowances that the Government continues to honour even though the duties historically associated with them not being fulfilled.”

“Nothing has changed that would justify a new claim.”

“The Government therefore calls for the immediate de-escalation of industrial action, which will not progress matters positively for either side.”

Reacting to the Government statement, Unite said the figure cited offered no context as to how it had been calculated and whether it included senior management.

“No context has been provided to those total earnings, without that context, the figure does not accurately represent what a frontline firefighter earns and risks presenting a misleading picture of firefighter pay,” the union said.

Unite said firefighters in Gibraltar were contracted to work a 42-hour week but were conditioned to work 56 hours per week under the current shift system, which represented 50% more hours than the standard, full-time working week.

This means firefighters work an additional 14 hours every week beyond their contractual hours, Unite said. These additional hours were paid as overtime and formed a significant part of a firefighter’s annual earnings.

“Presenting a headline salary figure without explaining that it includes payment for hundreds of additional hours worked each year does not provide an accurate representation of a firefighter’s basic pay,” Unite said.

It added that firefighters employed since 2014 were on revised terms and conditions that resulted in lower overall earnings than colleagues employed previously.

As more firefighters now serve under these revised arrangements, the “average salary” figure presented by Government does not accurately reflect the earnings of many firefighters currently serving within the GFRS.

“The basic hourly rate of a Competent Firefighter when broken down is £18.56 per hour in a physically demanding and hazardous job role,” Unite said.

It added that the 7.5% claim arose directly from the Government’s own shift disturbance framework, which recognised the impact of unsocial working hours.

Under Government policy, day shift workers attract a disturbance allowance of 12.5%, while rotating shift workers that include night duties attract 20%.

“Firefighters operate a rotating shift system that includes night duties throughout their careers,” the union said.

“The differential between these two figures is the basis of the issue raised.”

While some firefighters remain in receipt of certain allowances under arrangements that pre-date the changes introduced in 2014, these allowances do not recognise shift disturbance or night work, Unite said, adding that across Government departments it is “common practice” for specific allowances to reflect unsocial working hours.

Unite also referred to firefighters in the UK who receive a range of additional allowances and specialist pay supplements, including those related to specialist roles, equipment maintenance and instructional duties, which are not currently received by members of the GFRS.

“Once again we have a situation where HMGOG opt to publish the salaries of their employees and our members, seemingly to seek to undermine their meritorious claim for recognition of their shiftwork that includes the regular working of nights,” said Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite Gibraltar.

“This is a move that was wholly anticipated and this has been done with zero context, for example no mention of members having contractual overtime of 14 hours per week which necessarily increase earnings, no-one would suggest that those additional hours should be worked for free.”

“HMGOG regularly makes reference to the UK Grey Book to justify their all-inclusive pay argument.”

“However as the union and our representatives have highlighted repeatedly, the Grey Book represents minimum standards of employment that can be augmented by local agreements, yet HMGOG simply ignore that argument and instead choose to publish salaries rather than engage in dispute resolution.”

“In citing the Grey Book, HMGOG would be encouraged to heed the extensive provisions within the Grey Book agreement around industrial relations, consultation, negotiation and dispute resolution in sitting down with the union and our GFRS shop stewards to seek a resolution to this issue rather than seeking to undermine the GFRS claim via press releases and publishing salaries.”

“Firefighters are simply seeking recognition of night shift disturbance in line with the Government’s own policy framework.”

“This would ensure that those who routinely work unsocial hours are treated consistently with the principles already applied across Government.”

Unite stressed that the GFRS remained committed to protecting the community with professionalism and dedication.

“Firefighters will continue to serve the public as they always have while seeking a fair and reasonable resolution to the issue of night shift disturbance,” it added.