An Assistant Chief Officer called Steve,

An Assistant Chief Officer called Steve*

Has (you'll  find it hard to believe)#

Stopped West Yorks FBU, from emailing you

So we're cross and we need to concede...........  

*Rhodes  
# Ok we are being sarcastic it's been a long day!

 Concede to what you may ask ?

We here at FCCL have a very soft spot for David Williams of West Yorkshire FBU. He has over the past two and a half years risen  from associate, comrade, to  friend and now (poor sod) has achieved the heady heights of being a trusted pal. 

So when FCCL  read the West Yorks FBU facebook page on the 23rd April 2014  FCCL  went from serene to niffed quicker than a CFO discovering a camera might have been left running on a pump during a strike! 

So we are conceding  to our emotions (its a girl thing)  and wish to name and shame ACO Steve Rhodes as FCCL  consider him to be a BULLY  and worse is  guilty of victimisation and harassment of a union official, which is not only inappropriate behaviour for a Director of a Public Authority but in direct contravention of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ! 

ACO Rhodes actions are also of course in direct contravention of WYFRS  Employment Services Trade Union Facilities Agreement Policy (Grey). A copy of which you can find here  

Dave's alleged crime.............to try an email some of his members via his WYFRS email account! 

Now Dave (we happen to know because FCCL were also there) recently attended a TUC briefing on Facility and Recognition agreements,  so he  is fully aware of what he can and cannot do; and what the FBU as a recognised Trades Union is entitled to use as part of their facility / recognition agreement  with WYFRA .

Strangely enough the Chief Fire Officers Association don't seem to be allowed access 

to the above facilities - it would be interesting to  see if they did communicate

 with their members via their  WYFRS email accounts!  

So in closing  we have to award both David Williams and Steve Rhodes 10 /10. 

Dave for showing great courage in outing what ACO Rhodes has done - standing up to bullying such as this takes guts. 

And to 

ACO Rhodes for being our little blogs 

favourite person! 

To date FCCL has had 150,000 hits and 27% of all our traffic has viewed Handbag Gate - so we have a lot to thank him for really ! 

If you back a dog into a corner it is going to FIGHT !

Or alternatively  ............

Oh to be a fly on the wall Monday in Morley. 

We have used this particular saying before here  

OMG !!! You will never guess what I have just heard

"Will he charm them with his fancy uniform, shiny buttons and pips on his shoulder. Or will they stand up for the rights of every citizen to have a decent  fire and rescue service."

FCCL said that way back in October 2012 when CFO Simon Pilling was called to a meeting of Morley Town Council that was held behind closed doors. And seems he did charm them and spin them a tale via a set of matching smoke and mirrors. And we also told of Ed Balls MPs concerns  later the same October 
And although CFO SImon PIlling didnt get things entirely his own way (Morley Fire Station wasnt closed and merged with Hunslet,  but is to be day crewed instead) 
ANYWAY
 -  a couple of blogs later  ( March and May ) bring us round to this Monday  22nd July , Ed Balls MP is yet again  to meet with Simon Pilling (and we assume a few of his closest  henchmen) to discuss Morley Fire Stations future. Also in attendance will be Cllr Dawson, Cllr Varley, Cllr Finigan (who was at the original IRMP meeting), Cllr Mehboob Khan (was the head of the fire committee at the time) and FCCL believe several other local councillors too from the Morley , Ardsley and Robin Hood areas.

As these councillors are now we understand armed with the truth of what the IRMP means to them and their constituents they are pressing for some serious answers and the continued 24hr fire cover that they deserve.


Simply put, FCCL believes  the CFO and his officers lied to the fire committee over the wording of Morley staying open in the IRMP meeting which agreed the changes of, among other things, the downgrading of Morley, Rothwell & Garforth. When the local  firefighters and FBU  explained the actual implications of the outcome to Ed Balls and all the local Morley councillors they were not best pleased as they assumed that they had saved Morley from closure and were retaining 24hr cover but it soon became clear that they had had the wool pulled over their eyes by Simon and Co. 

Despite many attempts by Ed Balls & other councillors to get a meeting with the CFO to clarify the situation the CFO has consistently dodged the issue and even didn't bother to turn up to an agreed meeting with Ed Balls. Ed Balls is a very busy man and he was not impressed with the CFO's actions at all. (remember Simon P will be very close to retirement age when these cuts are implemented). 


As well as the fact that FCCL believe  the CFO lied to them the politicians  have also given them the facts about how many people actually put them selves forward for day manning at the affected stations.

Rothwell   8,

Garforth   3 or 4 

Morley 6 
(or maybe  less, we have heard since our last post there may be only ONE person willing to day crew)

Don't forget that the new system was open to everyone in West Yorkshire and if even only ONE person wants to do it and yet the closure of Morley will still go ahead on the 13th of January 2014.

It beggars belief that they will force a station closure with only one applicant as a replacement.

We understand the remainder of the staffing will come from the Ops Pool and detached duties from other stations - this could be the situation for years until they eventually find or recruit enough people to change to the day manning system ! All the personnel at Morley will be forced to  move to other stations which will over staff' those stations, this means that we will have the absurd situation of ex-Morley personnel being detached back into Morley (at extra cost) to keep the station running.  We understand 

One Watch Commander may have already been told that there are no foreseeable posts at other stations for him to be transferred to so they are 'making' a post for him at FSHQ ! - Lucky chap. 

Madness ! or Jobs for the boys? 

Why not leave the personnel where they are at Morley
until such a time that they can fill the posts properly? 
OR

IF IT AINT BROKE _ DON'T TRY AND FIX IT (mind you we already know he isn't too good with tape measures) 
And leave Morley, Rothwell and Hunslet just as they are. 

 It is absolute madness and FCCL are  beginning to think that maybe the CFO is suffering a serious impairment of judgement (AKA:   too arrogant and stubborn to admit he has messed it up  and anyway he can always blame the Councillors on the Fire Authority)

NOW TALKING OF MESSING UP
............................at the recent Inner East Area Committee at which  Station Commander Nigel Kirk of Gipton Fire Station told of a 40% increase in deliberate house fires in his station ground.


Cllr Ronald Grahame (labour)  who has had a seat on the Fire Authority  publicly said that voting through the closure of Gipton was something he regretted deeply 
AND THEN HE SAID 

Cllr Ronald Grahame

HE HAD BEEN BULLIED AND THREATENED BY
CLLR MEHBOOB KHAN

  INTO   VOTING THROUGH THE CLOSURES . 

Now lets make it clear THIS IS SERIOUS  and there is no way FCCL would ever put it in the public domain without being 110% sure 

But he said it at the committee, he repeated it to a close and trusted friend of FCCL and  he has also spoken to the FBU about what happened. 
So Cllr Mehboob Khan  bullied Ron ?
 Who else has he "influenced" 

What else has gone on
(we must presume with Simon Pillings consent as he was desperate to get things pushed through)


We will be writing publicly to Cllr Grahame  requesting he make a formal complaint to the Fire Authority  or RESIGN Next week is FCCLs Ladies of Letters*  week. 
We will  comment and blog on recent correspondence at WYFRS.

* Although there are many that would contest the term Lady and much prefer "that Woman" 

Bullying by Politicians

Over the past couple of weeks we  have been hearing allegations of  bullying within the fire authority.   

Can Politicians be bullied ? Discuss......... 

Or is it just because we are now in election mode for  2014 and  voting to close your local station is probably  a vote loser? 

We will blog more this evening.  

( we need permission to use certain peoples names first)