Members turn out in force over pensions
FBU joins fellow trade unionists on Feb 18 campaign day
FBU Members turned out in force last Friday February 18 to press home their anger and concern about the Government’s proposals to change the Firefighters Pensions Scheme (FPS) and the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), and developments with sister unions in the public sector involved the broad TUC-coordinated pensions campaign.
Emergency fire control staff and firefighters met their MPs in their constituencies and joined activities organised in the regions by fellow trade unionists and the TUC.
Below is round up of some of the days’ events across the UK:
- Northern Ireland (R2) : Over 150 FBU members assembled at Belfast City Hall to join fellow trade unionists – including from Unison, TGWU, NIPSU and PCS - in protest at Government proposals for our pensions. This was followed by a meeting in Transport House Belfast where a packed hall was addresses by the leaders of the main trade unions, including from Northern Ireland FBU.
- East Midlands (R6): Members and officials attended and spoke with other public sector union at rallies organised in Chesterfield, Leicester and Nottingham. Prior to the day the regiona asked officials and members to contact their MPs and invite them to address a meeting or discuss the Government’s pensions proposals. Those who could not see their MP on the day making arrangements to see him/her later. Initial feedback from MPs has been good.
- London (R10) : Members and officials attended a number of local meetings and rallies along with other trade unions, with speakers from the FBU contributing to rallies across London.
- Eastern England (R9): Firefighters and control staff joined teachers and local government workers gathered on the Cornhill in Ipswich. Local representatives from the FBU, NUT, PCS, the TGWU and Ipswich Borough Council UNISON members, handed out leaflets and collected around 300 signatures in only an hour and a half.
- Scotland (R1): Members and officials attended rallies in Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Lothian & Borders, with speakers from unions, including FBU, and trades councils. The Glasgow rally was attended by 50 odd FBU members and the Dundee Rally attracted over 80.
- South West (R13) : FBU members and officials turned out in force at rallies in Bristol, Gloucester and Plymouth. A large rally took place in the city centre of Bristol on college green where Avon FBU members rallied behind the FBU banner alongside members of the GMB, NUT, Unison, PCS and the T&G. Further support was shown by fire appliances from Temple Fire Station. In Plymouth substantial numbers of FBU members from Cornwall and Devon attended the rally further supported by fire appliances from green bank fire station.
- Southern (R12): There were demos in the region in Aylesbury Bucks; Oxford Oxfordshire and in Slough Berkshire. Members attended each of these demos. In Portsmouth Control Stafff were joined by Firefighters and other public sector workers in a large demo. Further inter-union initiatives are being discussed now between officials in the region for action between now and May .
All the rallies attracted substantial press coverage, boosting the campaign to protect our pensions. FBU speakers expressed the anger of FBU members on the attacks on their pensions and pledged solidarity with other public sector unions in their fight to defend pensions and improve provisions within them.
Lobby Your MP – Now!
New letters will be available on the FBU website by tomorrow (Wednesday 23 February) for members to send to MPs to ensure they keep the issue of OUR pensions in the forefront of their minds as they seek votes from us and our families in the General Election.
Click on the “Lobby Your MP” link from the home page of the FBU website (www.fbu.org.uk), enter your post code and your MP will pop up. Then enter your name, address and email, and “send”. It takes just 3 clicks and less than 3 minutes. It’s simple – really. A number of members and officials have used this facility but many haven’t – if you fit into that later category do it – NOW! The election – mostly probably May 5 - is just round the corner.
Rank to Role – union demands NJC meeting over pay protection
The Union has called for a meeting of the National Joint Council after reaching an impasse with National Employers over pay protection under the move to Rank to Role. It has also urged Brigade Committees not to reach any agreement at a local level on this issue or participate in processes set up to implement the role-based pay structure.
It must be stressed that NO agreement has been reached between the Union and National Employers over the substantive move from rank to role because the Union has rejected detrimental Employer proposals on pay protection while a number of other issues are outstanding.
A circular with guidance on implementation issued by Employers last week (Feb. 16) is a unilateral move and does not have the Union’s agreement. Implementation should only take place once guidance on pay issues relating to assessment of competence for each role in the IDPS pay structure and the assessment of job size for some of the roles has been agreed by both sides. This has not happened.
Under the June 2003 Pay and Conditions Agreement, on November 7 2003 (Stage 2), members were assimilated from the old pay structure to the new one, and the NJC emphasised that the assimilation exercise was for pay purposed only and this did not in itself implement the new IPDS pay structure.
That process, the NJC stated in a circular at the time, would take place over the coming months once all the appropriate national agreements and advice were in place. That circular also said “it would be premature for them (Fire Authorities) to make final decisions at this stage on the longer term allocation of roles to existing jobs. This would not be appropriate until the completion of negotiations in the NJC.” Negotiations have not been completed.
If at the meeting of the NJC the Union has called no agreement is reached, then the Union will refer the matter to arbitration in line with the Constitution of the NJC.
Members will be kept informed of any new developments.
More details are available on the FBU website (Circular 2005H0C0131MF).
IRMP Parliamentary Seminar
The Union is moving to raise the profile of our IRMP strategy and fire safety policy with a seminar in the House of Commons next week. The “Local Standards – National Issue” seminar will be held next Monday 28 February and is being sponsored by the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety Group. Presentations by a variety of stakeholders, including the FBU, within Government and the broader fire safety community, take place in the morning. This will be followed by a debate in the afternoon led by FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist and Ken Knight, Commissioner for London’s fire authority.
Harrogate cuts stalled
North Yorkshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority has shelved for 12 months important sections of the integrated risk management plan (IRMP) drawn up by Chief Fire Officer Eric Clark, including cuts in night-time cover in Harrogate, dual crewing of 'aerial' ladder appliances and the introduction of First Response Vehicles crewed by only two firefighters. The decision came after sustained pressure from the Union and a strong campaign from local people and local media.
The plan provoked outrage among local members of the public. A major petition was organised by FBU members, who, armed with the Union’s technical response to the IRMP, succeeded in arguing the Union’s case with a great many local people. 800 local people signed up to the petition.
Harrogate politicians rejected the plan. Ahead of the crucial fire authority meeting on Monday, Harrogate councillor Fred Willis also handed in a petition signed by 37 members of Harrogate Borough Council.
The consultation process was condemned as inadequate by the FBU and councillors supported an amendment from County Councillor John Fort for alternative options to be examined.
Amendments proposed by other members of the authority will see the proposed fleet of First Response Vehicles be put on hold while a single vehicle is piloted.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil Willis, who attended the meeting in a private capacity, welcomed the decision. "What was a set of draconian proposals have been put on hold," he said. "The crewing in Harrogate will remain in place."
Meanwhile, Conservative prospective Parliamentary candidate Maggie Punyer said: "The authority has seen sense and realised the harm their plan could cause."
Despite the success in heading off a number of damaging proposals, the pilots mean the Union will have to remain vigilant and it urged members of the public not to be complacent and to continue to voice their opposition if any cuts are proposed in the future. "All the proposals could come back so we have to be vigilant," Ian Watkins, Harrogate branch FBU representative told the local press.
Control CARe campaign
CUMBRIA County Council launched a petition last week condemning proposals for “super” control centres for the fire service.
The county fire service is against regional call centres, saying they would mean that calls from Cumbria would be dealt with by staff in Chester with no local knowledge or understanding.
County council officials will visit the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott next month to put their case against reducing the 49 sub-regional control rooms to nine. A county council spokesman said:
“The Government argument is that there are too many small fire authorities and too many small local control rooms and that there should be better co-ordination in the future. It believes that introducing regional fire control rooms could improve efficiency and save money.
“How much the county would be expected to contribute to the cost of rationalising control rooms – around £100 million nationally – is not known.”
Cumbria Fire’s Cockermouth control room has 17 staff working shifts.
Councillors argue that in Cumbria there is little or no money to be saved and few efficiency gains to be made. They say Cumbria is a large rural area and the staff’s local knowledge is invaluable.
The county council, across all parties, was unanimous in its support of a motion opposing plans and calling on the people of Cumbria to show their support for the staff by signing the petition.
The petition is available in all libraries and at fire stations.
People can also register their support for the fight by visiting www.cumbriacc.gov.uk.
Source: The Cumberland News
For more on the FBU’s Campaign Against the Regionalisation of Emergency Fire Controls log on to www.controlcare.org.uk.
London Cuts EDM – lobby your MP – Now!
31 MPs have signed Early Day Motion (EDM) 551 London Fire Service Cuts, which opposes the planned reduction to fire cover in London.
FBU members and officials are encouraged to write to their MP and ask that they support it.
The process is easy. Log on to the FBU website (www.fbu.org.uk), click on “Lobby Your MP”, enter your postcode (this will find your MP), enter your name and address and hit send an email to your MP asking them to support this – and ask your families, friends, neighbours and work colleagues to do the same.
An EDM is a kind of petition that allows MPs to put on record their opinion on a subject and canvass support for it from fellow MPs, and can force a parliamentary debate debate on issues that would otherwise not be discussed.
The full text of EDM 551 and the MPS who have already signed it can be seen on the UK parliament website:
http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=551
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