Retaining fee

Conference notes the decision made by Conference in 2009 in respect of Resolution 18 on the Retaining Fee, moved by the National Retained Committee. Conference also notes the position taken in respect of pay last year.

The current and inadequate Annual Retaining Fee is still no longer deemed to be acceptable to our Retained Duty System (RDS) Members. It still fails to recognise the commitment of RDS firefighters, the disruption to their family life, the adverse effect on their primary employment and the increasingly high expectations from Fire and Rescue Service Employers. More worrying still, in many Brigades, the retention of RDS firefighters is becoming increasingly difficult with more leaving than joining. Taking a look at our own RDS membership over the last eight years will highlight this trend.

Conference re-affirms that the Executive Council use all necessary resources to negotiate and agree a substantial increase to the Annual Retaining Fee paid to RDS employees.