Fire dispute flares up again
The long running dispute about fire fighters’ pay has flared up again, with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) accusing the Government of “wrecking” a key pay deal.
The Government, however, has rejected such claims as nonsense, and the Local Government Association (LGA) has said it is “disappointed” at the break down of talks.
The employers claim that talks stalled due to a disagreement about working arrangements on bank holidays, for which fire fighters are set to receive double pay and a day in lieu.
It is believed that the employers are insisting that the fire fighters train during stand down time, between midnight and 07.00 GMT on bank holidays, rather than responding only to emergency calls, which the FBU believes is all they should do.
However, the FBU claims that the Government packed a key meeting on Monday with London Labour councillors who were ordered to vote down a deal reached between employers and the FBU.
The FBU’s assistant general secretary, Mike Fordham, said: “I am stunned and angry. We had 14 days of detailed daily talks and reached agreements which the union honoured this morning.
“A clear agreement was reached. A Government inspired wrecking crew from London has been sent in to destroy this deal and they have done it.
“Nick Raynsford has stepped in behind the scenes to wreck this deal. He does not want agreement on any terms, he only wants confrontation.
“He threatened to withdraw the £30 million transitional funding if a deal was reached. He has bullied these councillors into adopting a position many of them are disgusted with.”
The FBU will now begin to ballot for industrial action. It is angry that fire fighters have not yet received the full pay rise promised as part of the settlement of last year’s fire dispute, claiming that the union has accepted all necessary modernisation practises.
Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the LGA, said he was disappointed that the FBU would not accept the agreement.
He said: “We have now agreed and are ready to pay the outstanding 3.5 per cent backdated to last November, provided the FBU accepts normal working on Bank Holidays, for which fire fighters will receive double time and time off in lieu.
“We are grateful for the involvement of the TUC in the last couple of weeks, which has helped achieve effective progress, particularly on the outstanding issue of stand down time.
“The final payment, 4.2 per cent, of the three-part agreement will depend as it always has, on the latest independent verification by the Audit Commission. The report on this was received on Friday, and urgent consideration of it is underway as a preliminary review of it suggests that the results are mixed.”
The next stage of the dispute is not yet clear, particularly as both sides are in disagreement about why the talks actually broke down.
