Unions in public sector prepare to strike together

More than 2,000 members of the Fire Brigades Union from across the country joined a rally in Westminster and a lobby of MPs as part of a campaign to protect pay, pensions and conditions, pledging the "fight of our lives".

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said frontline jobs had been cut under the Labour Government while back-office positions and chief officer teams had increased.

He angrily attacked politicians and chief fire officers for "sitting back" and allowing the service to be dismantled, adding: "We face a pay freeze and huge attacks on jobs and conditions as part of an ideological, political assault against public services.

"We are now seeing daft ideas such as increasing the

role of the voluntary sector and individual stations being allowed to opt out of fire service control.

"They have already privatised fire engines, now there are private contractor strike-breakers."

Mr Wrack said unions should fight disputes together, warning: "If it means striking together, then so be it.

"We are entering the fight of our lives, the like of which we have never seen before."

Mark Serwotka, leader of the Public and Commercial Services union, said there would be 100,000 civil service jobs lost in the next four years.

He told the rally that 15 councils had issued compulsory redundancy notices to their entire workforce and told them they would only be re-employed on worse pay and conditions.

"Firefighters, teachers and civil servants are all facing cuts in jobs, pay, pensions and conditions. It makes no sense to fight individual battles – we should all go on strike together," he said.