The FBU has said it is disappointed not to have received an official pay offer from fire service national employers, which was due today (1 JULY)
The Employers’ Side at the National Joint Council (NJC), which negotiates pay in the fire and rescue service, had said they would consult with local employers on the content and affordability of a pay claim filed by the FBU at the beginning of June.
Representing the NJC Employees’ Side, the FBU last month demanded an “immediate and substantial increase” to firefighter pay to tackle a decade of austerity and government pay freezes.
However, employers have cited “practical problems” with employer consultation meetings as reason for the delay, and have said they are “confident” that meetings will take place this month.
As with previous years, any pay agreement reached after today’s deadline is expected to be backdated to that date.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:
“It’s disappointing that employers have been unable to make a pay offer today. There is no doubt that the pandemic has caused problems for everyone, but we submitted our claim in good time and firefighters deserved to hear today what was going to be on offer.
“We made clear in our submission that our members deserve a significant pay increase after a decade of austerity. We now await the response of employers to our claim.”
The letter from NJC Employers was sent to members in circular 2020HOC0389MW.
