The Fire Brigades Union will hold in-depth discussions over the future of firefighters’ pay and of the fire and rescue service, its executive council has announced.
Fire service employers recently proposed a 1% pay increase for firefighters from July 2014 through the National Joint Council for Local Authorities and Fire and Rescue Services (NJC): the body through which representatives of fire service employers and the FBU hold negotiations on pay and other conditions of service.
The union’s executive council has expressed concern at the pay proposal and the fact the living standards of firefighters continue to fall. The executive council statement says that the pay proposal does not “resolve the issue of pay nor address the growing concerns among members regarding falling living standards.” FBU members are asked to hold local discussions and to consider a range of issues, including the ongoing dispute over pensions.
The executive proposes to “develop the evidence, data and research necessary to support a claim for increases in pay which properly reflect the work undertaken by firefighters in the modern fire and rescue service.”
The results of this work and research will be reported to members and discussed at the union’s national conference, as part of preparations for a major campaign “to make up any lost ground, improve living standards and deliver pay that reflects the professional role of the modern firefighter.”
