New fire service shifts 'save £3m'

Originally the fire service intended to change firefighters' shift times from a day shift of nine hours and a night shift of 15 hours to two equal day and night shifts of 12 hours each.

This move, the fire service said, would allow crews to carry out "vital practical training and external community safety work" during the day and also result in more than 4.5m of "non-cashable efficiency savings" every year.

However, the plans were fiercely opposed by members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) who first implemented an overtime ban and then carried out a series of strikes in the autumn of last year.

The union claimed the changes would heavily impact on family life and cause firefighters problems in finding childcare. They also objected to what they referred to as the fire service's plans to "sack" 744 firefighters and re-employ them on new contracts.

After months of negotiations, which involved both the arbitration service Acas as well the National Joint Council's (NJC) resolution advisory panel, an agreement was reached earlier this year with the assistance of the NJC's Joint Secretaries.

This agreement meant that, rather than the two equal 12-hour shifts, firefighters began working an 11-hour day shift and a 13-hour night shift on April 1.

In a report set to go before the South Yorkshire Fire Authority at a meeting next Monday, chief fire officer Steve Swarbrick says that the efficiency savings resulting from the new shifts fall 1.5m short of what was originally hoped for.

He says: "Whilst short of the optimum 12/12 position, this still offers considerable efficiency gains in support of both practical training and community safety delivery.

"The projected non-cashable efficiency gains amount to approximately 3m per year. Whilst 11/13 does not offer the same level of flexible working opportunities as 12/12 shifts, it does present an overall improvement when compared to the 9/15 shift pattern.

"It also ensures that the authority is now complying fully with statutory working time requirements in respect of the break between consecutive night shifts."

Mr Swarbrick goes on to say that all staff affected by the shift changes have been given a one-off payment of 750 – half of the compensation payment that was first suggested.

He says: "Previous attempts to reach a negotiated outcome had included the offer of incentives in the form of no-change guarantees and compensatory payments.

"Some of these aspects were included in the final agreement, albeit modified to take account of the authority's negotiating position. The original offer of a one-off compensatory payment of 1,500 to affected staff was reduced to 750.

"The settlement of the dispute in respect of the compensatory payment had originally been estimated as being in excess of 1m on the assumption that the individual payments would amount to 1,500.

The final position is approximately 650k which has been met from within the existing 2009/10 salaries budget."

Mr Swarbrick's report is now set to go before next Monday's meeting of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, which begins at 10am at the offices of the South Yorkshire Joint Secretariat in Regent Street, Barnsley.