Disgruntled firefighters back home

The 301 firefighters who were deployed by Working on Fire (WoF) to help with firefighting efforts in Canada returned home on 14 June because their services were no longer needed and also following a pay dispute which resulted in them downing tools in a foreign country.

The firefighters won the hearts of many people as they took their South African spirit of singing with them when they went to fight the fires. That spirit, however, was short-lived and the firefighters were lambasted for putting money first and not the love of their job.

The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa said, “We call upon the nation not to condemn the firefighters. Condemning them for disappointing us can only demoralise them despite their successful track record.”

The Department of Environmental Affairs had sent a senior WoF official to Canada to help resolve the pay dispute. The mediation was, however, no longer necessary as the department reported that it was raining in the fire zone and all international firefighters had returned home.

The minister said relevant stakeholders would engage with firefighters in the appropriate manner in which they could raise any legitimate concerns in future to avoid a repetition of what occurred in Canada.

“We are immensely proud of our well-trained firefighters who have done excellent work over a number of years which has been recognized by the international firefighting community,” said Molewa.

WoF has stated that the firefighters knew and agreed to their remuneration and had also signed contracts before being sent to Canada. The management of WoF has also assured the department that there would be an internal inquiry to establish what could have led to the pay dispute in Canada.