Working Time Directive - Update

As at 4:20am on 02 April 2009, the 2nd WTD conciliation committee broke up without agreement. The Council and European Parliament are still totally at odds, in particular on the issue of the opt-out. The Presidency and European Parliament have agreed to hold one more informal trilogue meeting (date tbc) where they will see if there is any chance of an agreement. If it is decided there is, a final conciliation meeting will be convened - possibly 21 April. If it is clear that an agreement will be impossible, then that will be the end of the process (for the time being!) and the dossier will fall (meaning the current Directive - including the existing opt-out - will remain unchanged). However it is felt that the issue will not go away and it is quite possible that following the EU elections in June, another set of proposals will be put forward.

Promotions still an issue within the FRS

We are all aware of the new processes for attaining promotion and entry within the FRS, newly created Assessment & Development Centres, the IPDS, National Selection Tests, PDR Pro, A1 Assessors etc.etc., so you would think that we now have a national system in place for new recruits and current employees applying for promotion - well you'd be wrong.

Unfortunatley the new processes have been adapted locally leading to differing standards and policies across the UK, this was highlighted within a recent email sent to RFU HQ:-

"I have been involved with the selection of people for suitable positions and general advancement outside the Service for many years. I think that the high failure rate of people coming from within the Service is because the methodology used is fundamentally flawed. Consequently we now have a large number of people in temporary appointments. They are not made permanent because they have failed the current style examinations. However they are being asked to stay on as temporary because senior officers agree that they are the best suited and qualified for the role/position. The direction this is heading towards is that we will be reaching a stage where FRS are going to have more temporary appointments than substantive.

I know of two good examples in two adjacent FRS. One is a very experienced temporary Crew Manager. He passed his old style LF examination, but his Service failed to give him his final thirty minute interview so under the new system, he is not regarded as qualified. However, his Service recognise that he is the best person for the job at his station. He has taken the new style exam and failed twice, so now he is not going to bother again. In industry he held a very senior position and would not have got there had he not had the necessary skills. He has been temporary for over three years even though the station has its full compliment of J.O's!

The second is a person who holds a WM position within the RDS and a temporary Station Officer within the WDS. In his FRS they need eight Station Officer's and had nine applicants. Only one of the candidates passed the external exam, the content of which was not Fire Service related. However like most of the others, they are already doing the job. Another example is where someone has been doing the S.O. job for about two years, in that time he has received letters of commendation and thanks, also his superiors think he is the best man for the job. He also has been asked to carry on as temporary.

I don’t think it unreasonable to come to the conclusion that the new system just does not work."

Anon

The RFU recognises that there is clearly a problem with the current arrangements and need further examples which can be used to highlight the issue, if you have similar experiences within your FRS please let us know at rfuhq@rfuonline.co.uk.

In-Scope Drivers - update

After raising the matter of In-Scope Drivers with CLG, the department distributed a questionnaire to all FRS within England and Wales with a view to gauge the extent of the problem and the knock-on effect to employees and their respective FRS before identifying a possible solution. Unfortunately the response from individual FRS has been extremely poor, we believe this is due to the fact that most FRS do not hold adequate information for their RDS employees regarding their Primary Employment plus the natural reaction for those who might be affected to 'keep a low profile' for fear of them themselves becoming an issue.

This problem will not just go away and ignoring it will undoubtedly lead to the possibility of In-Scope Drivers losing their RDS role within the FRS. We need to know the extent of the problem and to do this we need to identify approximately how many RDS personnel are also In-Scope Drivers, this information will remain confidential and help us to progress a solution in the long run. If you believe your primary role is as an In-Scope Driver visit our website here.

Meeting with Fire Minister Sadiq Khan MP

National General Secretary John Barton and the President Adrian Hughes met with the minister on the 1st April and raised a number of issues, particularly In Scope and the Opt Out.

As already reported, there are difficulties in seeking any form of derogation in respect of driving regulations without strong evidence on which to base a case. The recent derogation concerning military reservists was successful because 1) the number of individuals affected was known the MOD and 2) the occasions in terms of days/hours required were also clear. We believe that unless and until we can provide accurate information there is little prospect of success in achieving any relaxation of the rules for RDS whose primary employment brings them in scope. Once again we reinforce the need for you to assist us to assist you. In terms of the Opt-Out, the ministers reiterated the government’s position on retaining the opt-out. The minister was keen for the RFU to meet with him on a regular basis and dates for these meetings are being planned.

John Barton
National General Secretary