Firefighters have staged a walk off in New South Wales for the first time since 1956 in response to the State Government’s move to reform the state’s workers compensation agreements.

 

“The Bill, which was only released Tuesday afternoon, goes well beyond the sham Inquiry recommendations released last week. It is far, far worse than anyone expected and will severely impact upon FRNSW firefighters,” the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union said in a statement.

 

The stand down comes after firefighters met in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong to vote, resulting in the shut down of an estimated 240 fire stations around the state.

 

Members were ordered to stand down and not respond to any incident, with the exception of severe emergencies.