Dear Brother/Sister
On behalf of FBU members throughout the UK, I would like to congratulate our Essex members for the determined and united stand taken yesterday on the first day of strike action. Together with various FBU members and officials from around the UK I was able to attend a number of picket lines to speak to members about the current dispute.
Despite a huge amount of misinformation and pressure from the principal management team, Essex members stood firm across the Service. I would particularly like to congratulate our members in Control for their determination and solidarity. RDS members at a number of Essex fire stations maintained lively picket lines despite attempts by others to create division between wholetime and retained members. I would also like to pay tribute to those FBU Officers who demonstrated their loyalty to their colleagues and commitment to building a modern Fire Service which genuinely values the integrated contribution of all its uniformed professionals of all ranks, roles and duty systems.
Essex officials have asked me to pass on thanks to the various FBU members who travelled from other Brigades to demonstrate solidarity and to the many Branches around the country who phoned in and sent messages of support.
We look forward to exploratory talks through ACAS and to the fact that previous obstacles to the involvement of NJC Joint Secretaries appear to have been removed ' although we still need to finalise these arrangements.
Nobody wants to see industrial action in the Fire Service, least of all FBU members who deliver the frontline of our service every single day. We therefore hope that the issues within the trade dispute can finally start to be addressed. However, we remain determined to take further action if necessary and to build for the lobby and demonstration in Chelmsford on 18 July.
Best wishes.
Yours fraternally
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
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