Forestry firefighters and fire guards working at the Forestry Department will stage a 48-hour strike on May 25 and 26, in protest over what they describe as violations of their service scheme.
In a joint statement, the unions OEKDY SEK, PASYEK PEO and DEE KDOKO DEOK said the department’s failure to apply the agreed service arrangements significantly reduces firefighters’ ability to respond quickly to forest fires and creates serious risks to their safety and lives while carrying out firefighting duties. The unions said the Forestry Department is not implementing what had been agreed between them and the government, as employer, at the Joint Labour Committee, in the presence of the department’s director.
They said the agreed arrangements were applied at the start of last year’s firefighting season, but that this year the Forestry Department decided not to implement them. According to the unions, letters were sent and meetings were held with the department’s director in an effort to ensure both the service scheme and the agreed terms were applied.
The unions also said that, beyond issues concerning the safety of forests and firefighters, compensation is not being paid to workers selected to be responsible for the handling, maintenance and proper operation of heavy firefighting vehicles and their equipment.
After what they described as the exhaustion of dialogue with the director, the unions said they called on forestry firefighters and fire guards to adhere to their service scheme. They added that the director then threatened disciplinary action and proceeded with letters against firefighters. The unions said the strike decision was taken to protect both the forests and the firefighters, who, they said, risk their lives to save them.
Source: CNA
