The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has announced that firefighters up and down the country, including here on the Isle of Wight, are to be balloted on whether or not to strike in a continuing row over pay.
Some 32,500 union members are expected to be asked within the next few weeks whether or not they want to walk out.
It’s in a bid to receive a higher pay rise than the 2% on offer. The Fire Brigades Union claims that there has been a real-terms pay cut of 12% – or £4,000 – over the past 12 years, with this latest pay offer being below inflation yet again.
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the FBU, says:
“Taking strike action is always a last resort but our employers are increasingly leaving us with no choice.
“There is huge anger among firefighters at falling pay.
“Firefighters must be paid fairly – there is absolutely no question when it comes to this.
“It is the responsibility of fire service employers to provide decent pay offers and that has not happened.
Article continues below this advertisement “The ball is now in the fire service employers’ court. It is not too late for them to make a much better pay offer for consideration by our members.”
If the strikes do go ahead, fire cover will be maintained on the Island by non-FBU members who will attend life-critical incidents such as house fires or road traffic incidents.
Chatting about this at work this morning, if there was a strike, would the non striking workers providing cover (mentioned in the article) get the same pay rise should there be a successful outcome for FBU & it’s members?
Yes, they would, same as all strikes, the scabs get the same pay rise as the workers that strike, even though that thay have not lost out financialy.
As obviously strikers don’t get paid.
Yes they would get the same benefits that the trade union fought & negotiated for on its members behalf, however, I’d imagine they wouldn’t have much respect or credibility amongst those that did fight for better things.
It’s the same old people crying about pay. You don’t see the rest of us going on strike.
No. Not the barristers, postal staff, train drivers and crews, dock workers. They’re all still working normally.
perhaps the fire service shouldn’t have spent money painting fire engines as a rainbow and spent it on frontline services
wokery by oxford, dorset, wiltshire and suffolk fire brigades reported in national news four days ago, as spending service money on decorating fire engines in LGBTQ rainbow paint jobs.
GKN next to ballot on strike action.
Who would notice !
none of these places striking are struggling on minimum wage fgs! and those poor people or just low earners cant strike tooget better pay? all or nothing should be