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Firefighters walked out on strike yesterday, saying it was a “warning shot” to the government and that more industrial action could follow. |
Fire Brigades Union members nationwide staged a four-hour walk-out from noon in a dispute over pensions that is set to escalate in coming weeks.
They manned picket lines across the capital with large numbers outside Euston Fire Station, waving placards and chanting slogans. Brigade chiefs in London said that “robust” contingency plans were in place with 27 engines — down from the usual 169 — being operated by private contractors to cover the most urgent emergency calls. The armed forces have a back-up role and in the event of a major incident union members can return to work.
The first national fire strike in 10 years is a result of union anger that firefighters will be made to work until they are 60 to claim their pension.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “This initial strike is a warning shot to the government. It is ludicrous to expect firefighters to fight fires and rescue families in their late 50s — the lives of the general public and firefighters themselves will be endangered.”
TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “There are many reasons why the government shouldn’t be pressing ahead with these unfair and ill-thought-out changes, with concerns about the likely impact on safety surely top of the list. Being able to save people from burning buildings or rescue them from the scene of a multiple vehicle pile-up requires not just bravery, but a good deal of physical strength too.
“There won’t be many members of the public who would feel confident about being rescued from a serious fire if the only route out of the inferno was down a ladder on the back of a firefighter who was about to turn 60. Yet that is exactly what the FBU fears could happen if the government gets its way.”