Humberside FBU called an Emergency Brigade Committee meeting on Monday to urgently discuss the Industrial Relation problems that are currently ongoing within HFRS. This follows the imposition of a new Transfer Policy that is causing many FBU members in both the RDS and WDS a lot of concern, upset and anger.
As previously reported, the FBU registered a Collective Issue regarding the imposition of the Transfer Policy and a further Collective Issue regarding HFRS’s disregard for the nationally agreed Industrial Relations Policy.
At a meeting regarding these Collective Issues the CFO requested for both the FBU and the manager responsible for the Transfer Policy, to try to come to an agreed resolution at the end of a 1 month period. Two meetings then took place with meaningful discussions being entered into by both sides. However, following this second meeting and with still no agreement being reached, the manager then decided to put out, for immediate use, a revised Transfer Policy. This was after just two weeks of the 1 month period the CFO had requested for the two sides to try to sort out their differences. Neither the first or the revised Transfer Policy that is now being circulated by management has been agreed with the FBU.

As such, the FBU are advising their members to not complete a transfer request in accordance with this new policy until such a time that this Collective Issue has been resolved.

At Monday’s Emergency Brigade Committee meeting, the various options open to try to rectify this development in the way HFRS and the FBU conduct their daily business were discussed. At the close of the meeting, a course action was agreed upon and endorsed by the committee and this information will now be promulagted out at a series of Branch meetings to be held over the next couple of weeks and early into the new year.
Humberside FBU cannot stress the importance of this issue to its members, your Conditions of Service are under threat by this worrying development and disregard for the nationally agreed IR Protocol, The protocol that basically sets out the ground rules of how a Fire & Rescue Service should consult and negotiate with the FBU on issues that affect its members.
ATTEND YOUR BRANCH MEETING TO GET THE UP TO DATE INFORMATION AND TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE PROPOSALS FROM THE BRIGADE COMMITTEE

Following a number of RDS members raising with the FBU, concerns regarding a new Monitoring Form being distributed to stations for all personnel to complete, a meeting was requested with management to try to address this issue.
The meeting took place with ACO D Sanders, AM D Oprey & RDS Harmonisation Officer Dr Dave Paton outlining HFRS’s reasons for the requested information. The FBU then relayed the concerns that had been raised by their RDS members and in particular, who would have access to this collected information or where it would be relayed onto. Management stated there was no hidden agenda for the request, but they needed it to comply with requirements under the ‘Working Time Directive’. They then said that following the concerns being raised they would revisit the form and its contents to try to address the issues.
Following on from this meeting, a new revised form was produced that allows HFRS to now aquire the relevant information they need to comply with the WTD but importantly the information supplied will now be sent on anywhere to other ‘parties’
If anyone has any concerns or are not sure that they are completing the correct latest version of the form, please contact an FBU Brigade Official via the ‘Contact Us’ link or via mobile phone on the numbers provided.

FBU Officials have received quite a few calls regarding the new ‘unagreed’ Transfer Policy that has been put out by HFRS. The FBU immediately lodged a ‘Collective Issue’ regarding this imposition of a new policy and further lodged a ‘Collective Issue’ with the management of HFRS over what the FBU believe was their breach of the National Joint Council agreed ‘IR Protocol’
Following this, a meeting took place between FBU Officials and the CFO, and his corporate management team to discuss what the FBU saw as a serious deterioration of Industrial relations between themselves and the management team of HFRS.
This meeting concluded with both sides agreeing to have a series of meetings over the next month to try to resolve the differences and reach an agreed Transfer Policy. We can report that two meetings have so far taken place and as yet no agreement has been reached but the discussions have been very positive with many of the concerns being raised by the FBU being taken onboard and alternative solutions being put forward.
It is antiscipated that an acceptable solution will be arrived at eventually.

Humberside FBU Official Ian Murray is moving sideways to take up the role of Regional Secretary. Ian who currently is the Regional Chair and Humberside’s Assistant Brigade Secretary will officially take up the reigns at the start of the new year. Although moving into a position with a full time secondment, Ian will still be involved in Humberside’s FBU business on a daily basis.
Ian said earlier:
‘I’ve had a lot of calls asking me when i’m leaving Humberside Fire & Rescue Service but that isn’t exactly how it is. I’ve taken up a different role within the FBU that comes with a full time secondment. I’m still employed by Humberside Fire Authority and a member of HFRS it’s just i wont be operational whilst in this post. I’ll be very sad to come off riding pumps as i always said thats not what i wanted to do, but unfortunately with the amount of work and time required something had to give and if things dont work out i’ll be asking to come back pretty sharp. I’ll still be attending meetings within HFRS and turning up at Branch meetings to give the usual ear ache out to members. so dont get the flags out just yet!!!

As of yet the FBU have received no formal proposals from the management of HFRS regarding any alterations to the existing Duty Systems. The FBU would once again like to remind members that any changes to the duty system will only be introduced following agreement being reached with the FBU or if the management of HFRS decided on a very radical route and opted to issue a ‘90 day Notice’ of intent to change our existing contracts. No single FRS has yet taken this action, every Service that has changed their duty systems have been done following agreement being reached with the FBU. Should this radical route be decided upon, local FBU officials would immediately consult with you, the members in order to discuss the options open in order to fight any imposition of contractual changes.
Duty Systems are always high on the agenda of Branch meetings and local FBU officials are well aware of the their own and managements surveys that were carried out, that showed overwhelmingly that those working the existing duty systems do not want to change them.

Rest Assured this message will be conveyed to management when the time arrives

CPD Applications - Latest News

The management of HFRS are still of the opinion that they have applied the CPD Application process in line with that agreed at the NJC a view not supported by the FBU.
Following this remaining as an unresolved ‘Collective Issue’ the FBU have now received formal notification that this matter will be jointly referred to the National Joint Secretaries for their assistance in trying to resolve this issue.
As a precautionary measure and following advice, the FBU has also now registered the remaining 37 members who were unsucessful in their CPD applications with an Employment Tribunal this was in order to comply with the relevant timescales, however a ’stay will be placed on them until the internal resolution process has been exhausted.