The push for a new deal came after firefighters protested at the opening of a fire station in Altona on Sunday.

United Firefighters Union Victorian secretary Peter Marshall accused the state government of reneging on clauses included in the proposed new agreement for firefighters.

He said firefighters would increase administrative bans and post campaign material as part of their industrial action.

However, he insisted that the industrial action would not compromise community safety.

"Already fire stations are starting to display campaign material," Mr Marshall said.

He warned firefighters would also launch a public relations campaign to highlight their concerns.

Mr Marshall said safety clauses were at the heart of the industrial dispute.

Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett said the government did not want to take any conditions away from firefighters.

"We're seeking to add conditions and give them a pay rise," she said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday that all parties needed to sit down and "respectfully" talk through their issues.

"Industrial action for its own sake, that achieves nothing," he said. "I want to reward our firefighters for the work that they do."

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Robert Clark said the firefighters union had realised Mr Andrews was a "soft touch".

He said other unions had forced "big pay rises" from the state government.

"At the moment, the unions feel that he's a soft touch and the community's going to pay the price," he said.