The heavy rain in London on Wednesday 16th October could not dampen the spirits of several thousand fire service personal who had travelled from all over the UK to attend a mass rally and demo in protest against the government’s continued attacks on all elements of the fire service.
The heavy rain in London on Wednesday 16th October could not dampen the spirits of several thousand fire service personal who had travelled from all over the UK to attend a mass rally and demo in protest against the government’s continued attacks on all elements of the fire service.
Huge budget cuts have meant finding savings from every part of the organisation:
- Reduction in Firefighters
- Closing stations
- Making support staff redundant
- New, cheaper, smaller fire engines (basically a Toyota pick-up truck with three firefighters as a crew instead of the normal five)
- More charging for non-life threatening incidents
- Exploring mutualisation and further privatisation of brigades
- A freeze on any pay rises
- And also unaffordable, unrealistic and dangerous changes to the firefighters pension scheme, which basically means work longer, pay more, get less
In the last 18 months we have had two imposed contribution increases to our pension, meaning an increase from 11% to the current 13.2%, with the government meeting this week to decide on the next increase, which will take us up to 14% or more.
Not only is this an extra financial burden to members, the scheme (which is due to change in 2015) is just not affordable and attractive to any new recruits to the service. This means the potential financial collapse of the pension scheme in the future. Will the fire service then be a more attractive commodity to sell to the hovering vultures in the private sector? Is this the government’s plan?
A few years ago, the government commissioned a report into the fire service that looked into increasing the age of operational firefighters from 55 to 60 years of age. The report stated that two-thirds of firefighters will not be able to medically carry out all the physical aspects of a firefighters role. And women particularly were going to struggle to be anywhere near fit enough at 60 to play the role of a firefighter.
So what did the government do? Well, it ignored its own findings and pressed ahead with increasing the retirement age from 55 to 60 for operational firefighters, stating that local authorities could potentially redeploy anyone who could not meet fitness standards. What they failed to consider was that there are no redeployment opportunities anywhere, in any brigade. Such positions have ceased to exist since the budget cuts hit us. In fact, the fairly new and modern fire service HQ in Nechells, Birmingham is practically in the dark, with all of the support staff now gone. Apart from H.R and a few senior officers, there is nobody there,
which just leaves the employers with one option – sacking people on capability.
This is already happening, but it will only escalate if the pension age is raised. This is totally unacceptable.
The FBU have spent two years producing facts and figures from all quarters to highlight the dangers to crews, the public and the fire service in general if the government press ahead.
We are yet to receive any evidence from the government to support their changes. They refuse to even listen to our evidence.
Eventually, the FBU balloted its members and almost 80% voted YES to taking industrial action up to and including strike. Still the Government refused to listen.
Members hinted that a great many of them would have to pull out of the pension scheme due to the increases in contributions and the uncertainty over its sustainability for the future. Still the Government refused to listen.
So this Saturday, 19th October, we will reluctantly but solidly, begin our second period of industrial action. Beginning at 18:30 and finishing at 23:30. This follows on from a well supported first period last month carefully chosen on a statistically quiet period of the day, as a warning to the government that we are willing to go all the way in the defence of our pensions.
Now the government are starting to listen. Now they are showing signs of weakening. Now they are calling the FBU for more talks. Now they are willing to start proper meaningful negotiations to resolve this issue.
At the rally yesterday there were some fine speakers. From the TUC, NUT, POA, John McDonnell MP, Fiona Twycross from the London Assembly, to name just a few. Most spoke of having a 24-hour strike by all public sector workers. This received the biggest cheer of the day.
Could there be a last minute cancellation of the strike this Saturday by the FBU due to the government offering an acceptable deal? Who knows….maybe.
We know we are not alone in having cuts to our service, attacks on our conditions and changes imposed on our pensions. We see what’s happening to the other hard working public sector workers. We see them also staging strike action, and we support them totally.
All we ask is for a fair, affordable and sustainable pension scheme that is right for our occupation.
We didn’t create this financial mess. We save people, not banks.
Solidarity.
Nick Harrison,
Coventry Green Watch
FBU Rep.
