Fire unions pull back from fresh strikes

Firefighters leaders today pulled back from calling fresh strikes over pay but warned that a 24-hour walkout will go ahead next week unless they get a renewed offer.

Fire Brigades Union representatives from across the country discussed the possibility of a fresh wave of strikes but decided not to name any new dates.

Firefighters are due to walk out for 24 hours next Tuesday followed by two 48-hour stoppages from January 28 and February 1.

The union had been expected to announce fresh strikes, some as short as two hours, today.

FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist urged the employers, who were meeting separately in Birmingham today, to come up with a new offer.

The union has complained that it was being tied to accepting modernisation of the fire service which it believes will lead to the loss of 4,500 jobs.

The employers are also sticking to a pay offer of 4% this year and a further 7% later in the year which has already been rejected by the union.

Mr Gilchrist said no union or organisation could accept the demands the employers were asking for because it "neutered" any prospect of proper negotiations.

He said he hoped the employers would drop their demand and come up with something "more positive".

"I hope the employers will look very carefully at the situation so that we can resume negotiations."

Mr Gilchrist said firefighters and control room staff still felt frustrated and angry at the lack of progress in the long-running dispute adding that positions had hardened.

"We look to the employers to reach a far more positive conclusion which we will look at.

"We don't think there is any case to be made for reducing the number of firefighters by 4,500."

Mr Gilchrist warned the Government that if it responded to Conservative calls to ban strikes it would be a "desperate and unnecessary act".

He added: "We want to get back to negotiating a resolution to this dispute."

The union's executive will meet again on Monday and employers are hoping that negotiations can still resume before the strike starts at 0900 on Tuesday.

The union representatives today discussed a number of options for further industrial action but felt it was not necessary to name new strike dates at this stage.

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