A veteran firefighter says Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s announcement of major restructuring this week felt all too familiar.

“I joined the service in 1988, and this feels like déjà vu,” Rotorua senior station officer Des Chan said.

In the 1990s a major cost- and efficiency-driven restructure by Fire and Emergency’s predecessor, the NZ Fire Service, sparked industrial action.

Fire and Emergency employees in the Bay of Plenty were impacted by the restructure proposal announced on Wednesday, union secretaries have confirmed.

Fire and Emergency chief executive Kerry Gregory said the proposed changes would touch about 700 roles nationally, with a net loss of about 400 positions.

Frontline firefighter positions were not impacted but “some supporting functions may change”.

“The proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to deliver a modern and responsive emergency service,” Gregory said.

Final decisions were set to be made before the end of the year, following consultation.

Fire and Emergency NZ chief executive Kerry Gregory. Photo / FENZ

RNZ reported that, according to the 266-page proposal document, at least 140 people were slated to lose their jobs, while other roles would be disestablished or significantly changed.

Tauranga secretary of the NZ Professional Firefighters Union Mike Swanson, a senior firefighter, said the proposal could see 12 roles go at the Bay of Plenty regional headquarters in Tauranga.

“These range from the regional manager through to planning and intelligence roles, business services managers, executive assistants and office workers’ positions.”

The region covers the area from Waihī to the East Cape, and down to Tūrangi.

Swanson said while the number of trainers at the National Training Centre in Rotorua would remain unchanged, the number of administrators, who support the trainers, would be “decimated” under the proposal.

“We are yet to work out the exact details of proposed job losses in learning development, but if these changes go ahead, it will have a major impact on training delivery on a national basis.”

Swanson said he and Chan - the union’s Rotorua secretary - and their colleagues were “blindsided” by the announcement.

Tauranga secretary of the NZ Professional Firefighters Union Mike Swanson. Photo / Sandra Conchie

In his view, it was “very poor change management” by Fire and Emergency.

He claimed the organisation “failed” in its “legal duty to inform the union and consult with staff before publicly announcing these sweeping changes”.

“It is very disappointing and disheartening for all the staff, some of whom could face the prospect of being sacked on December 17, and a dismal Christmas.”

Swanson said the proposal had created “great uncertainty” among the staff.

“I don’t believe these changes will achieve the gains FENZ [Fire and Emergency] believe they will, and if the restructure goes ahead, it’s likely to increase workloads exponentially.”

Fire and Emergency chief executive responds

Responding to Swanson’s comments, Gregory said the organisational change proposal was “now with our people” for their feedback.

“The primary focus is to provide a trusted service that keeps New Zealanders safe.

“Our dedicated team does an amazing job looking after our communities, and this proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to continue doing that."

Career firefighters and other Professional Firefighters Union members went on strike for an hour in Tauranga last month. Photo / Bijou Johnson

He said he acknowledged the proposal was difficult for the teams and individuals impacted.

“We are committed to constructively working through their feedback to ensure we get the best outcome.”

Fire and Emergency was asked for a breakdown of the proposal’s impacts on the Bay of Plenty workforce.

“We cannot comment on any proposals until we’ve considered our people’s feedback and final decisions have been made. This will be after December 17,” Gregory said.

Fire and Emergency, union negotiations

The PFU and Fire and Emergency have been engaged in lengthy collective bargaining negotiations over members’ pay and conditions.

A planned strike on Friday was called off after the union received new financial information from Fire and Emergency, with bargaining talks to resume next week.

The Employment Relations Authority has said it will hear evidence from the parties, including the outcome of bargaining, on November 25.

Fire and Emergency deputy national commander Megan Stiffler urged the union to call off its planned strikes on November 21 and 28.