Brussels firefighters reach agreement after strike

Brussels firefighters have reached an agreement to secure staffing and funding following weeks of industrial action, including a strike over the national holiday.

“The problems outlined by the fire service are real and deserve to be heard,” said Brussels minister-president Boris Dilliès (MR).

“The government has responded by mobilising all available resources, despite the now familiar budgetary context that had to be taken into account. I am pleased that a solution has been found.”

The joint trade union front representing the firefighters reached an agreement with the Brussels government over the weekend, resulting in a suspension of plans to strike further.

“The mood was cautiously positive,” said Yves De Vogelaere, trade union representative at ACV for the Brussels fire service.

The main agreements relate to increasing staffing levels. New recruitment drives will be organised as soon as possible, although an increase in staffing levels will not be most noticeable until next year.

“This is a one-off drive to quickly alleviate the long-standing staff shortage,” De Vogelaere said.

“The regular recruitment drives that are planned are, in fact, urgently needed to cope with the anticipated staff turnover.”

An important point for the firefighters is that future new recruits can be quickly integrated into a standby scheme. Recruitment reserves would also be established to enable a faster response to future replacements.

According to De Vogelaere, a number of people already hold firefighter and paramedic qualifications and can therefore be deployed much more quickly.

“After all, those who have to start from scratch are only truly operational after more than a year of training,” De Vogelaere said.

“For Brussels, staff from other zones only need a short training course on special procedures relating to high-rise buildings and the metro.”

Another key commitment is that the government will draw up a language framework for fire service recruitment, as unionists say that without one, recruitment has been difficult.

The hope is that these measures should make it possible to structurally increase staffing levels and reduce the pressure on existing teams.

The full proposal involves allocating an extra €10 million for the Brussels fire brigade. The majority of this sum - more than €8 million - will be set aside for increasing the number of operational staff and staff at the 112 call centre. A further €2 million will be allocated to infrastructure works.

Firefighters had been taking industrial action since 21 July due to persistent staff shortages and a heavy workload, and say the actions have been “very powerful and effective”.

A final decision on the proposal from the government depends on approval from the trade union rank and file.

The unions warned that they would resume industrial action if the commitments made are not fulfilled by the end of September.

“The strike has been suspended, but the strike notice remains in force,” said Frédéric Leroy of the VSOA trade union.

They also stated an intention to strengthen internal organisation in the coming weeks, notably by appointing representatives within each group in order to better prepare for the next stages of the negotiations.

Other issues that will require negotiation include the issues of pensions, the recognition of work-related cancers, the arduous nature of the job and end-of-career conditions.

“We realise it will take some time to achieve this,” said De Vogelaere of the ACV.

“We’ll have to grit our teeth for a little while longer. Last year, 48,000 hours of leave were not taken by the Brussels fire service. This year, the figure is likely to be similar.”