![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1931ffb526853a3d6da5f82ce9288554.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nThe Victorian firefighters’ union is threatening legal action against its own members for not paying a $644 levy to cover its hefty legal costs.<\/p>\n
In what some firefighters have called a “ridiculous” move, the union last year resolved to charge all members the fee to cover the union’s legal bills which financial reports show ran to almost $2.3 million last financial year.<\/p>\n
The levy is on top of union membership fees, which are more than $2,000 per year for senior firefighters.<\/p>\n
Letters sent by law firm Slater and Gordon notify members who have not paid the levy that if the matter is not resolved, court proceedings will be commenced against them to recover the debt.<\/p>\n
“If proceedings are commenced, in addition to being required to pay the CCF [Court Case Funding] levy, you may also be ordered to pay interest and costs,” the letter says.<\/p>\n
One union member and senior firefighter, speaking to the ABC on the condition of anonymity, said the union should be supporting members, not attacking them.<\/p>\n
“[It’s] unhelpful and detrimental to the mental health and wellbeing of our people,” he said.<\/p>\n
He also questioned whether the cost of using a legal firm to recover the debt would actually outstrip the cost of the debt itself.<\/p>\n
A Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) employee told the ABC they couldn’t believe the union would send a legal letter to its own members, and that one recipient had been in tears over the potential action.<\/p>\n
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Union secretary Peter Marshall says every member who received a legal letter was contacted several times first.\u00a0 (ABC News: Stephanie Anderson)<\/p>\n
United Firefighters Union (UFU) Victoria branch secretary Peter Marshall said in a statement the decision to impose the levy was made by members over five union meetings, and carried unanimously.<\/p>\n
“Most members expected the request and have already paid,” he said.<\/p>\n
“No member received a legal letter out of the blue. Every one of them was contacted several times first.<\/p>\n
“If there are any other members who have financial or other struggles, it is well known that I can be reached at any time, and their circumstances will be dealt with sensitivity and in confidence.”<\/p>\n
The union would not say how many letters have been sent, though the FRV staff member said they were aware of more than 40.<\/p>\n
Union spends more than $10m in legal fees over six years<\/p>\n
Over the past six years, the Victorian branch of the union has spent more than $10 million on legal fees, according to its own financial statements.<\/p>\n
The current legal levy is to pay for ongoing action the union is taking against FRV in the Fair Work Commission over the firefighters’ Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA), according to firefighters who spoke to the ABC.<\/p>\n
Do you know more about this story? Contact Jessica Longbottom at jessicalongbottom@protonmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0If you’re sharing sensitive information,\u00a0read our tips on how to contact us confidentially<\/a>.<\/p>\n The parties have been unable to resolve the EBA since 2021, with FRV making the union seven separate offers over that time.<\/p>\n The Fair Work case is just one of several legal actions the union had underway.<\/p>\n The levy is to pay for ongoing action against Fire Rescue Victoria. (Source: Facebook\/Fire Rescue Victoria)<\/p>\n The UFU and Mr Marshall also mounted Supreme Court action against the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) this year, trying to stop the public release of a report that examined former Labor ministers and the union secretary.<\/p>\n The bid ultimately failed, with the report published in August finding Mr Marshall was able to exert extraordinary influence over the negotiations for the 2016 firefighters EBA and was given privileged access to senior government figures.<\/p>\n![\"fire](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3b616b4efcf398fc1ef3d236990dae23.jpeg\")
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