Firefighters urged to return to work
Leaders of the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) have called on their members to end the wildcat strikes in the latest pay dispute.
Emerging from a seven-hour meeting yesterday, FBU leaders instructed disgruntled firefighters to return to work ahead of a further gathering of the union’s executive council on Monday.
Firefighters argue local authority employers have reneged on a seven per cent pay increase agreed back in June.
Firefighters say the pay rise has been slimmed down to 3.5 percent.
Employers, for their part, say the rise will be paid and backdated when changes in working practices have been fully implemented.
Yesterday, the executive of the FBU said it could not reach a formal agreement on modernising the fire service if the wage rise was paid in two stages.
The executive said employers on Monday could “grasp the opportunity” to reach a deal.
