The Fire Brigades Union in West Yorkshire has responded to ‘unwelcome pressure’ on its members from the brigade’s Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling.
Last week, Pilling sent a letter to all employees outlining his views on a range of matters, focusing particularly on firefighters current campaign against government attacks on pensions.
Since the letter’s publication — which firefighters have branded “inaccurate”, “ill thought out” and “unwelcome”, FBU officials in West Yorkshire say they have been inundated with angry messages from members demanding a response to “a misleading attempt to undermine their resolve in the current trade dispute.”
In a response to members, officials said: “The letter clearly attempts to put doubts in the minds of FBU members as to the ability of the national FBU and to criticise what he sees as a lack of communication.
“You may ask yourself, if the CFO wants to maintain a position of neutrality, why has he issued a statement so clear in its’ intent such as this? The answer is pretty clear, he is trying to encourage striking FBU members to think again. This may be because he has concerns that his contingency plans aren’t sufficient.”
FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack has also written to Cllr Mehboob Khan, chair of West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority, in response to Pilling’s letter.
In the letter, Wrack said: “The letter appears to be an attempt to interfere in the dispute between the FBU and the Government and in the internal affairs of the FBU.
“As the letter is written by your most senior employee I would like to know whether the views expressed in the letter reflect the views and policies of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.”
