************************************************************
In response to media enquiries about an allegation by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department Staffs General Association (SGA) that the Fire Services Department (FSD) had obstructed the industrial action currently undertaken by the SGA, the FSD said today (July 13) that it had no intention of obstructing and had never obstructed the industrial action taken by the association.
A spokesman for the FSD said that the SGA informed the department on June 29 of its intention to take industrial action, which involves "refusing to perform non-operational duties", commencing from July 1. At the same time, the association appealed to its members to begin the industrial action from July 1, without specifying an end date. The SGA has not notified the department about details of the duty items involved in the industrial action.
"Although the SGA eventually submitted a formal application to the FSD management on July 10 for taking the industrial action beginning on July 1, there are still uncertainties about the duties that its participating members will not perform and the SGA's proposed action still involves a number of essential duties of frontline Fire Stream members. The FSD then informed the SGA in a letter on July 12 of issues that require clarification and attention," the spokesman said.
"The FSD has a duty to take appropriate measures to ensure that the department's core operations, including emergency services, will not be adversely affected by the industrial action before the department reaches a consensus with the SGA on details of its action."
Under these circumstances, the department issued guidelines to frontline management staff on June 29 providing them with a list of the essential duties that operational staff must perform. The frontline staff members who wished to take part in the industrial action were also requested to clearly indicate the duties that they would not perform so that the FSD management could assess whether these actions would affect operational efficiency and public safety, and make the necessary manpower arrangements for the work concerned. At the same time, in order to protect the rights of the staff wishing to take part in the industrial action, the FSD also made corresponding administrative arrangements on the same day to ensure that its staff could participate in industrial action under the fundamental principle that the operations and services of the FSD would not be affected.
The spokesman said that the FSD management had always respected staff unions and made every effort to facilitate lawful and reasonable action by staff unions provided that such action would in no way affect the department's operation, service quality and operational efficiency. "Given that the FSD management and SGA have not yet reached a consensus on the duties that its members must perform during the industrial action, the FSD is unable to accept any arrangements made by the SGA that may affect service quality, undermine operational efficiency or create unnecessary conflict between frontline management and staff," the spokesman said.
On the SGA's allegation that it had not received any formal proposals from the FSD management since the meeting held by the Security Bureau, Civil Service Bureau, FSD and SGA on June 6 this year, the spokesman said that, as agreed at the meeting, the management and staff sides of the FSD would continue to explore feasible proposals to reduce the weekly conditioned hours of Fire Stream members in the next three months.
"Pursuant to the agreement reached at the June 6 meeting, the FSD management met with the executive committee members of the SGA on June 14 to explore with them various feasible proposals and initial ideas of the management. The department is working on a proposal and will consult all Fire Stream members on the proposal in due course. The FSD regrets that the SGA has decided to undertake industrial action from July onwards without waiting for the proposal from the FSD management in accordance with the agreement," the spokesman said.
The FSD spokesman appealed again to SGA members to exercise restraint and maintain a continuous dialogue with the management, and work for the welfare of members in a reasonable and pragmatic manner.
Ends/Friday, July 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:57
NNNN
