London firefighters set to strike in contracts deadlock

Members of the Fire Brigades Union will walk out for eight hours from 10am, and a further eight-hour stoppage is planned for next month if the row is not resolved.

The union has accused the capital’s fire brigade of effectively threatening thousands of firefighters with the sack if they do not agree to new shift patterns.

London Fire Brigade has pledged to respond to 999 calls throughout the strike, but officials admitted a fire engine may not be sent to less urgent and non-life-threatening incidents, including rubbish fires, fires on open ground, large animal rescues, flooding, people stuck in lifts and gas leaks.

The brigade said its contingency arrangements allowed it to place up to 27 fire appliances at strategic locations across London and was a “significant improvement” on the military green goddesses used during the last strike.

London’s Fire Authority signed a 9m five-year contract last year with private firm AssetCo to provide a contingency level of fire and rescue services if firefighters were not available because of severe pandemic illness, industrial action, natural disaster or catastrophic incident.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said the strike was a “terrible step” to have to take, adding: “London’s firefighters feel it is the only step they can now take.

“They are taking the action because, on August 11, the London Fire Brigade formally began the legal process of terminating the employment contracts of 5,600 London firefighters.

“If they had not started that process, we would not be going on strike. If the dismissals are lifted now, the strike will be called off straight away.

“Firefighters hate going on strike, but they hate being bullied even more. The London Fire Brigade is trying to bully them, and they won’t have it. That’s why there was a 79 per cent majority in our ballot for a strike, on a 79 per cent turnout – a huge mandate by any standards.”

London firefighters have been taking industrial action short of a strike over the “mass sackings threat”, including a ban on overtime, since September.

The brigade wants to reduce the current 15-hour night shift to 12 hours, and increase the current nine-hour day shift to 12 hours, therefore providing a longer day shift, saying that firefighters will continue to work two day shifts followed by two night shifts then have four days off.

The chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Brian Coleman, said yesterday: “This action is based on suggested cuts.

“There are no cuts. This strike is pointless and unjustified and we must focus on talks to resolve the dispute.”