Firefighters are being urged to vote for Jeremy Corbyn in the upcoming leadership election of the Labour party as the Fire Brigades Union believe he is by far the best candidate for firefighters, for the fire and rescue service and for working people in general.
FBU members who pay into both the union’s political levy and affiliation levy fund have the right to vote in the upcoming leadership race. You can register for a vote on this page.
Why Corbyn?
Jeremy Corbyn’s long-standing support for the union goes back more than 30 years when he stood on the picket line with firefighters who took part in the first national strike over low pay. Since then he has stood shoulder to shoulder with the FBU during its many campaigns to protect and extend the rights of firefighters throughout the whole of the UK. He was a founding member of the FBU parliamentary groupto give us a strong voice in Parliament.
Earlier this year, in a seminal speech to the FBU’s annual conference, Jeremy Corbyn committed the Labour party to ‘rebuild the fire service’ which has been decimated by huge funding cuts since 2010. He has made it clear that austerity will be ditched and in its place, safe levels of funding will be introduced for the fire and rescue service. Fire stations closures will stop and firefighter jobs will be better protected.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “With respect to Angela Eagle and Owen Smith, it is clear that for firefighters and other working people Jeremy Corbyn is the only choice. He understands the fire and rescue service and will do right by us. The union wholeheartedly supports him and we would urge FBU members to vote for Corbyn.”
The FBU special conference in November 2016 voted to affiliate to the Labour Party. Taking account of different views across the union, it was agreed that no political fund money from Scotland or Northern Ireland would be used for this affiliation.
The labour leadership election is conducted on the basis of one member one vote so it is an individual choice for members to participate or not.
How to Vote
1. FBU members who are already paid up Labour Party members and joined before 12 January 2016 will receive a ballot paper through their normal channels.
2. FBU members may be eligible to vote as ‘affiliated supporters’ by being a member of the FBU as an affiliated trade union. To become an affiliated supporter you must have been a fully paid up FBU member before 12 January 2016, paying not only the trade membership fee, but both the political levy and the affiliation levy. This rule is determined by the Labour Party.
To become an affiliated supporter, you have to sign up online using the online form below or on the Labour Party’s website, and agree to further conditions laid down by the party:
Provide your name, address, postcode, email address and telephone number.
- You must be on the electoral register with a valid polling number.
- Sign a statement supporting Labour’s aims and values and a declaration they do not belong to any organisation opposed to the Labour Party.
- Must agree the data protection statement.
There is no cost to FBU members eligible to vote using this route. However, if you cannot provide an email and insist on a postal vote, the FBU will be charged £2 per request.
