Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has signalled to unions the "sky is the limit" when it comes to pay negotiations after career firefighters won a massive jump in allowances, the opposition says.
Instead of signing a new pay deal, the CFA and the United Firefighters Union added new conditions to the 2010 enterprise bargaining agreement, including a $3000 bonus, a 19 per cent allowance increase and a yearly sports voucher.
"It says to every EBA that's not signed that the sky is the limit and the premier will offer anything to anyone to settle an industrial dispute," opposition leader Matthew Guy told reporters on Wednesday.
"The premier is on the front page of the papers throwing money around like it's confetti and the treasurer said this morning we have to tighten our belt. So which is it?"
The bonuses and allowances will be back paid to August 12, when the new CFA board agreed to the union's pay demands, potentially costing tens of millions of dollars.
"Both the CFA and the union came to this agreement more than six months ago," Emergency Services Minister James Merlino said in a statement.
"Last week, the Fair Work Commission agreed to this outcome."
The deal includes a $3000 "delayed pay increase allowance", a 19 per cent increase in allowances, a $125 yearly sports voucher, and $24 a week if a professional CFA firefighter is free to give a fire safety talk to kids.
Mr Merlino said the federal government's volunteer laws - introduced in direct response to the CFA pay dispute - were preventing the deal being signed.
Mr Guy said the deals were a slap in the face to the thousands of volunteer firefighters across the state.
Victoria's fire services have strongly opposed signing new deals they believe hand too much power to the union at the expense of volunteers.
But Mr Andrews became determined to get a deal done ahead of the most recent fire season, so he pushed for the CFA to give in to the union's demands.
Former emergency services minister Jane Garrett and CFA's chief executive and chief fire officer resigned rather than support the deal, while the government sacked the board for refusing to back it.
Union secretary Peter Marshall declined to comment.
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