FBU Scotland has taken the first step towards strike action in opposition to a devastating package of cuts imposed by the Scottish government
Firefighters across Scotland will be consulted in the first formal step towards a ballot, the FBU Scotland committee agreed unanimously.
John McKenzie, FBU regional secretary for Scotland, said: “The cuts we are seeing imposed by the Scottish government are a threat to the lives, homes and livelihoods not just of firefighters but of everyone in Scotland.
Scotland has lost 1,200 frontline firefighters since 2012
“Speaking to firefighters across Scotland, it is clear to us that there is a determined mood among members. After 10 years of cuts, our service cannot take any more.
“The public will not forgive the Scottish National Party government if they allow this to end in strike action”.
A projected five-year “flat cash” budget until 2027 has already removed 10 wholetime fire engines, while 150 retained fire engines are regularly unavailable due to recruitment and retention issues.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has announced that it will need to save a minimum of a further £14 million next year, which would result in the loss of a further 339 firefighters and 18 fire engines, with more to come. Scotland has lost 1,200 frontline firefighters since 2012.
Firefighters have warned that cuts this year have already left them “robbed of adequate resources”. One month after the town of Ayr had its height appliance taken off the run, a large fire broke out at a derelict hotel in the town centre.
Fifteen appliances were mobilised to tackle the blaze. Ayr’s height appliance would have been one minute away from the fire, but firefighters were forced to wait for Kilmarnock’s, 20 minutes away. When it broke down, they had to wait for one from the Glasgow area.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack called on Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf to intervene, saying the cuts are a “threat to the safety of everyone in Scotland, and the Fire Brigades Union has a duty to oppose them. The Scottish government needs to listen to those in the front line of this vital service.”
Scottish firefighters were due to stage a large protest outside the Scottish parliament in Holyrood in Edinburgh on 26 October, encouraging the public and FBU members from across the UK to join them.
