Pay full 7% rise, urges fire union

Firefighters' leaders have urged employers to pay a 7% increase in full, warning that staging the rise was not acceptable.

The executive of the Fire Brigades Union said it could not reach a formal agreement on modernising the fire service if the next phase of the wage rise was paid in two stages.

But the union urged firefighters to stop taking unofficial industrial action.

The union said employers had an opportunity at a meeting on Monday to "grasp the opportunity" to reach a deal.

If the employers stick to their position of paying 3.5% tomorrow and a further 3.5% in the New Year, the FBU leaders will meet again next week to consider their next move.

The proposed agreement between the two sides, which includes an end to the union ban on overtime, was approved by the executive as a "substantial move forward" for the fire service, but only if the 7% was paid in full.

Employers have made it clear that the union has known the deal would have to be approved by the Audit Commission before the 7% was paid in full.

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