不可不知的CFA抗争事件

近日有关维州的郊区消防局 (CFA) 的抗争事件在新闻上吵的沸沸扬扬，究竟 CFA 的事件为何如此重要，下面文章将会做一个简单的说明整理。

 

目前 CFA 抗争事件中，大体可分为两个阵营，一边是维州工党背景的州长及消防工会 (UFU) ，另一边则是维州郊区消防管理局和数万名消防志工。 CFA 的抗争事件的分歧点在于 CFA 应否被迫和工会签署新的企业协议，这个协议将给 UFU 工会带来否决权。 简单来说，一旦 CFA 被迫签署工会提出的企业协议，工会将有否决权来否决和干涉郊区消防局 (CFA) 所下达的决定或命令，CFA 也自然成了工会的囊中之物。

 

维州郊区地广人稀，长久以来消防义工守护邻里免于火劫成就了独特的传统。这群 “义消” (消防义工) 对于郊区的房屋状态、居住人员和环境都有深入的了解与认识，更重要的是他们居住在郊区，属于社区的一员。 一旦发生火灾，社区义消就会迅速动员，守护社区的安全。相比等待远水来救近火，这些居住在郊区的义消们在反应和效率上比工会救火员更胜一筹。

 

维州另一个消防局是 MFB (近郊消防局) ，主要在墨尔本近郊活动，消防人员主要为领薪的工作人员，而 UFU 工会在过去已有多次为了芝麻绿豆小事和 MFB 发生冲突与抗争的不良纪录。

 

由于 MFB 的前车之鑑，造成义消们担心劣币驱逐良币的情况会在 CFA上演。 若让 CFA 消防局成了 UFU 工会的掌上木偶，让努力保护自己家园的义消受工会排挤，则 CFA 义消的努力付之一炬尚且不论，让人担忧的是一旦森林大火再临， 工会的官僚制度和干预资源调动下将让他们守护家园的难度倍增，这也成了为何 CFA 义消们至今仍坚持抗争到底的根本原因。

 

 

英文版/ English version

Why the CFA struggle is important

 

A huge struggle has been going on over the future of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority. Why is this struggle so important?

 

It is a struggle between the Premier and the firefighters’ union (the UFU) on one side, and the directors and volunteers of the CFA on the other side. It is a dispute about whether the CFA should be forced to enter a new industrial agreement that gives powers to the UFU to veto decisions by the CFA.

 

Victoria has a long tradition of firefighting in country Victoria being led by volunteers from the local community. They know the countryside, they know the properties and people in their area, and they live locally so they can respond to fires more quickly.

 

Victoria’s second fire service is the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, based in Melbourne, and staffed by paid firefighters. The UFU has a history of being obstructive and causing long disputes over small issues in the MFB.

 

Volunteers are fearful that if the UFU is allowed to dominate the CFA, it will cause similar problems for the CFA, drive out the volunteers and make it harder for local communities to protect themselves from bushfires.