Union boss accused of 'bullying' by Fire Rescue Victoria commissioner

Victoria's fire rescue commissioner Gavin Freeman has accused the firefighters' union head of bullying and intimidating Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) staff and himself.In a letter to United Firefighters Union (UFU) secretary Peter Marshall, dated yesterday, the commissioner wrote to express concern about "excessively aggressive and inappropriately personal communications" disseminated on its website and social media and in media statements."These communications form part of an ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation directed at sections of FRV's workforce — including its own members when they take action in support of the organisation's interests, rather than the union's preferred position," Mr Freeman wrote.Gavin Freeman says the United Firefighters Union has targeted him with "hurtful and derogatory content". (ABC News)But Mr Marshall told the ABC he rejected the letter "in its entirety" and said his union's scrutiny of Mr Freeman and other FRV officials was legitimate.Mr Marshall said the heavily unionised FRV workforce last year passed a majority vote of no confidence in Commissioner Freeman.Commissioner raises psychological safety concernsIn the letter to Mr Marshall, which was shared with thousands of FRV staff, Mr Freeman wrote he'd received "multiple reports from FRV employees" who were concerned about the UFU's portrayal of themselves.He said this had contributed to a workplace environment where employees felt "targeted, distressed and reluctant to participate in legitimate organisational processes for fear of public vilification or reputational harm".A graphic on the UFU website indicating the results of a confidence vote in FRV leadership. (Supplied)Mr Freeman said he'd already written to the union "countless times" about the issue.He said FRV had a duty to take reasonable steps to protect its employees' psychological safety, including taking legal action and reporting matters "to the appropriate authorities".Mr Freeman, who has been commissioner since 2023, also claimed FRV executives Tony Matthews, Tom McPherson and himself had been targeted by "hurtful and derogatory content" in a no-confidence campaign for more than a year.This included the distribution of a satirical colouring-in sheet depicting the images of the three of them to children at a recruit graduation ceremony, he wrote.Mr Freeman said FRV had received reports from its own staff of many of them feeling "psychologically unsafe" when exposed to such content at work."As you're aware, the UFU holds a unique position in terms of the level of access it has to FRV's workplaces, employees and systems," Mr Freeman wrote."This position must not be abused."Union says its criticisms are justifiedA statement from the UFU said given the FRV commissioner was a public official, scrutiny of his performance "by his workforce, by their union, and by the public — is legitimate, it is protected, and it will continue".Mr Marshall said his members' grievances with FRV officials included an ongoing dispute over an enterprise bargaining agreement and removal of income protection for firefighters.He said ongoing problems with inadequate and out-of-date firefighting equipment were also a source of major frustration, which the union raised in the wake of a fatal house fire in Werribee last month.The union used messaging on fire trucks during a protracted industrial dispute with FRV and the government. (Supplied)The union repeated its call for Mr Freeman to resign and said it would not tone down its message."The UFU will not be intimidated, and we will not stop advocating for our members and for the safety of the Victorian community," Mr Marshall said."If the commissioner wishes to restore confidence, the path is clear: fix the failures, settle the agreement, and lead."The letter from Mr Freeman is the latest incident in a series of long-running and bitter disputes between FRV and the union.FRV last year sued the union for deceptive and misleading conduct over an income protection scheme.At the time, Mr Freeman said he had concerns about the "integrity" of the income protection scheme that has been running since 2023.The UFU earlier this month lost a Supreme Court bid to keep secret a corruption probe into its dealings with the government of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.Mr Marshall and the union had sought to block the release of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission's Operation Richmond report.