Molewa welcomes CCMA ruling on firefighters after Canada fire mess

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has welcomed the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) determination that the department and its Working on Fire (WoF) programme cannot bargain with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) on wages and conditions of service.

“Working on Fire is part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) that has been in existence since 2003. Participants in all EPWP programmes are remunerated in line with guidelines for employment and conditions of work for EPWP programmes,” she said in a statement issued by her department.

The CCMA heard in submissions this week that the department and its implementing partner, WoF, was not able to deviate from the EPWP norms and standards. This was confirmed by the CCMA.

“In its ruling the CCMA ruled that no improvement to current wage levels and conditions of service, as proposed by Numsa, be implemented by Working on Fire. The wage levels and terms and conditions of employment currently in place for the period 1 April to 31 March 2019 stand. The award was made on 29 June 2018,” the statement said.

“Importantly, the ruling stated that acceding to Numsa’s demands would result in WoF having to ‘terminate the service of 677 firefighters, which is approximately the size of WoF in [KwaZulu-Natal]… the extent of the impact would be tantamount to closing 27 bases’.”

This matter had its origins in the deployment of 301 WoF firefighters to Canada in May 2016 when they were approached by the Canadian government to assist with battling wildfires in the province of Alberta as part of a resource sharing agreement.

Despite the deployment being an overwhelming success, incorrect information was circulated in the public space regarding the terms under which the firefighters were deployed, which subsequently gave rise to claims by Numsa that the firefighters were being exploited.

In 2017 Numsa lodged a dispute with the CCMA requesting that Working on Fire (and the department as a joined party) award WoF participants a 12 percent increase in stipends over and above the current daily rates. The union had also demanded additional payments for callouts and standby allowances.

“This ruling is a vindication of the department’s position that Numsa and others who made factually incorrect allegations about the work conditions of the firefighters fundamentally misread the context in which a dispute arose over the Canadian deployment,” Molewa said.

“This decision clarifies the position of the successful EPWP programmes under implementation by not only our department but others as well … the firefighters of WoF are an essential part of the services being delivered by government, particularly during high fire seasons and their work cannot be underestimated,” she said.

The department ran 12 EPWP programmes as part of the overarching EPWP. They were aimed at creating work opportunities for many young South Africans who for various reason had not acquired the necessary education and/or skills. Through the EPWP they were able to gain skills and increase their capacity to advance and earn an income.

The programmes enhanced participants’ chances of finding jobs or starting their own businesses, as had already happened with some of the firefighters who had gone on to full-time employment with South African National Parks, the South African Police Service, and municipal traffic management authorities, among others, the statement said.

– African News Agency (ANA)