Agency called out for 'unfair' consultation period
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) is proposing to cut around 140 positions in a major restructure aimed at improving role clarity in the agency amid changing workloads.
FENZ announced on Wednesday that the proposed changes will impact around 700 roles, resulting in a net loss of around 140 positions, out of the agency's 14,900-strong workforce.
"This proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to deliver a modern and responsive emergency service," said FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory in a statement.
Among the key drivers behind the proposed changes are also improving role clarity and accountability at FENZ, as well as removing silos and increasing collaboration across functions.
The changes also seek to refocus FENZ's core business, enhance decision-making by empowering leaders, and improve access to and quality of information, according to the agency.
"Changing workloads and expectations on our people, along with the need to prepare for future challenges and resource constraints, highlighted the need to make changes to become a more effective and sustainable emergency service," Kerry said.
The chief executive added that they plan to release the outcome of the consultations before the year ends to give people certainty during the holiday period.
The actual changes, however, will likely take effect in March or April to give people and teams time to transition.
Employee impact of layoffs
Meanwhile, no frontline firefighter positions are impacted, according to Kerry, who noted that some supporting functions may change.
"I acknowledge this is difficult for the teams and individuals impacted. We are committed to constructively working through their feedback to ensure we get the best outcome," he said.
But the Public Service Association (PSA) said the actual net loss from the proposed changes will reach 169 positions, including 46 roles that directly support firefighters.
Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the PSA, said it was "alarming" that the agency would propose to cut roles that support fire stations and firefighters.
"These workers do critical work like ensuring the urgent coordination of resources for fires and other emergencies," Fitzsimons said in a statement.
The net loss also includes 45 roles in FENZ's Prevention branch and four wildfire specialists.
"The Government must step in and stop these short-sighted cuts - FENZ is telling its workers to do more with less, which will impact FENZ's ability to deal with emergencies and prevent future emergencies," Fitzsimons said.
"At a time of rising climate risks from more frequent extreme storm events and wildfires, and the increasing population in major urban centres, these proposed cuts are completely the wrong approach."
The PSA also called out the "extremely short consultation period," saying it comes at a time when bargaining for a new collective agreement is ongoing.
"Imposing such a fundamental restructure on staff with an extremely short consultation period, just before Christmas is insulting and unfair," Fitzsimons said.
"The PSA will be strongly opposing these changes and will be setting out the risks in a comprehensive submission. It should never have come to this."
Redundancies and consultations
Consultations during redundancies are a requirement in New Zealand, and have become a point of contention in recent employment disputes.
Last year, the Employment Court ruled against broadcaster TVNZ after it failed to hold consultation with employees before proposing redundancies and show cancellations. The court ruled that the broadcaster's initiative failed to meet its obligations and entitlements in its collective agreement with employees.
Elizabeth Coats, Bell Gully partner and employment law specialist, previously told HRD that core obligations during consultations always need to centre around the statutory duty of good faith.
"Every consultation process will be different, depending on the reasons for the change and how the impact might be across the business, as well as any specific employment agreement or policy requirements," Coats previously told HRD.
Leaders also need to maintain an "open-door policy" where employees can communicate and raise concerns when organisations conduct redundancies, according to ColourHR co-founder Nicole Francis. Transparency in the workforce should also be strongly maintained.
"Basically, you need to just over communicate as much as possible," she previously told HRD. "You need to be more transparent and open in the communications."
