Collective employment agreements (CEAs) are written employment agreements that apply to all members of a union where these people are employed in positions covered by the CEA.

At Fire and Emergency New Zealand, there are three unions representing employed personnel, with each having bargained their own CEA according to their membership and roles. They are –

• The NZ Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU), which covers members employed as firefighters, officers, National Communications Centre staff, and other operational roles such as training, volunteer support, risk reduction and community readiness and response.
• The Public Service Association (PSA), which also covers members employed in operational roles such as training, volunteer support, risk reduction and community readiness and response, as well as many of our corporate / national headquarters and business support roles.
• The Fire Emergency Commanders Association (FECA), which covers operational firefighting management / District/Group Manager and senior specialist positions.

Collective agreements are re-negotiated periodically, at least every three years.

We also have a number of employees engaged on individual employment agreements. These include many management and other senior positions not covered by a collective agreement, as well as those who choose not to join a union that covers their position. Where more than one type of agreement covers employees doing the same work, we ensure the key terms and conditions like pay and leave are consistent across the different agreement types.