Rotherham fire strikes "imminent"

A war of words has now broken out between the two sides over the details of negotiations.

Fire Brigade Union officials claimed that the South Yorkshire fire authority had revived plans to sack more than 700 firefighters in a new flare-up of the long-running row over shift changes.

FBU members this week faced one-on-one talks which could see changes in their contract terms and conditions after they rejected the latest proposals from fire service bosses.

The row, which is now 18 months old, and has seen firefighters strike seven times already, is over crews' working hours.

Fire chiefs want firefighters to work four 12-hour shifts, rather than the two nine-hour days and two 15-hour night shifts they currently work.

They claim it would give them more time for fire prevention work and training — but firefighters are concerned it will affect their childcare arrangements and night cover.

Strike action was halted in November after a compromise was reached between the two parties to accept assistance from a third party — either ACAS or the Fire Service National Joint Council.

But after the sides failed to agree the 'terms of reference' summarising the nature of the dispute, local negotiations continued.

In the latest development, union members have refused to agree to new shifts proposed by managers and recommended by union negotiators of 11-hour days and 13-hour nights.

Fire service bosses gave FBU members 48 hours until 5pm last Friday to reconsider but they said they would not do so.

Now the FBU has given the fire authority a deadline of 9am today to return to the mediation service Acas or face further industrial action.

FBU Regional Secretary Ian Murray said the fire service deadline was "totally unreasonable and they were completely out of order".

He said: "We reached an agreement in November that both sides would agree to third party assistance.

"However, we continued to negotiate because we thought a locally-negotiated settlement was better for everyone.

"Now our members want to go back to third party assistance as they don't trust management, who have gone back on the deal made in November."

The union said letters had again been sent threatening dismissal and accused fire chiefs of "the worst kind of bully-boy tactics from the worst kind of Victorian pit owner".

The FBU said that industrial action was very much a possibility, with only seven days' notice needed.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Smitherman said in a statement: "The FBU are trying to rewrite history.

"They have had numerous opportunities to end this dispute in the past 15 months but have rejected the recommendations of the National Joint Council and their own negotiators.

"Last week, they rejected our offer to enter binding ACAS arbitration based on the agreement we made on November 4, so we started individual consultation with affected staff in an attempt to resolve the dispute."