The CFA has been stopped from putting a controversial pay deal to a vote for almost a fortnight after Victoria's volunteer firefighters successfully applied for an injunction in the Supreme Court.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, which represents about 60,000 firefighters, sought the injunction on Friday hours before a 5pm deadline - set by the state government - for the CFA board to endorse the agreement with the United Firefighters Union.
Supreme Court Justice Michael McDonald initially ordered the CFA not to vote on the proposed pay deal until Tuesday but less than two hours later the court was reconvened and the CFA was barred from sending the pay deal to employees for a vote before June 22.
At that point the matter will return to the Supreme Court.
The order also stipulates the parties are to meet on June 20 to talk about issues in the proposed pay agreement that might impact volunteers.
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Stuart Wood QC for the VFBV on Friday told the court that volunteers believed they hadn't been properly consulted over the CFA pay deal with professional firefighters as required under the Country Fire Authority Act and a charter between the CFA, the Victorian government and VFBV.
"Today all we are seeking is an injunction restraining the CFA from putting the agreement to a vote," he told the court.
Mr Wood said the urgent injunction was sought after the VFBV learned through the media that the CFA board was being directed by the Victorian government on Friday to agree to the pay deal with the United Firefighters Union by 5pm or be sacked.
Justice McDonald said he was satisfied there were "serious questions" about whether or not the CFA had a statutory duty to consult with the volunteers and, if that duty existed, whether it had been breached.
