A meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria District 16 council late last month resulted in a near unanimous vote for the no-confidence motion in the Premier and Emergency Services Minister James Merlino.

Volunteer brigades District 16 state councillor and Stawell Country Fire Authority volunteer Mick Nunweek said the vote of no confidence was a result of a dispute over the new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.

Volunteer brigades claim the agreement would lead to a United Firefighters Union veto over Country Fire Authority decisions.

The state government has maintained that the agreement would benefit volunteers and community safety.

“Volunteers have been treated disgracefully and this is our response,” he said.

“We have sent copies of the letter to the premier and emergency services minister; they’ll probably throw them in the bin but we have also sent copies to all the others members of parliament.”

District 16 volunteer brigades council president and Ararat firefighter Peter Hannan said districts from across Victoria had backed or were considering similar no-confidence motions.

“This is not over, not by a long shot,” he said.

Districts nine and 23 have already backed similar motions.

Mr Hannan said volunteers had taken heart from statements critical of the workplace agreement made by former Country Fire Authority executives and senior officers at a parliamentary inquiry.

“It shows they haven’t changed their mind about the deal,” he said.

“The more the government treads out the same old lines about the deal in response, the less people believe them.”

District 17 volunteer brigades board member Maurice Dumesny said volunteers from the Horsham area would likely consider a no-confidence motion at a meeting next week.

“I expect a lot of volunteers across Victoria would have a similar view,” he said.

“District 17 could move along similar lines.”

Mr Dumesny said he expected more districts to consider no-confidence motions as the volunteer brigade’s legal action against the new workplace agreement progressed trough the Supreme Court.

As of Monday night, Mr Andrews and Mr Merlino had not responded to the letters expressing no confidence,