The FBU is set to have a strong presence at Labour conference, with aims for the conference firmly organised around progressing member interests on vital issues.
Through motions, speeches, events and conference stand the union is set to be at the heart of the conversation at conference, and is looking to bring attention to issues directly affecting its members in their day-to-day lives.
This includes building safety, climate change, and government attacks on the Grey Book – where firefighter pay and conditions are set out.
The FBU’s conference motions will focus on climate change and the building safety crisis, and two fringe events will focus on those issues respectively. Details of these fringe events can be found at the bottom of this page, as can details of where to find the union’s stand at the conference.
The union will look to draw attention to the building safety issues that have come to light since Grenfell and remain present in many buildings, endangering the public and firefighters, and stand in solidarity with all victims of the building safety crisis, including some who face huge debts as a result of it.
Climate change has a direct link to members’ working lives, with every centigrade of climate change making UK floods and wildfires more likely – incidents which firefighters are on the front line of dealing with. The union will be seeking to make this point and, in line with it, draw attention to the immediacy and scale of the threat.
Finally, the union will be looking to draw attention to the potential government attacks on the Grey Book and the threat this has to firefighters’ pay and conditions. The conference provides a significant opportunity for the union to spread the message about these attacks to Labour members, MPs and activists.
The union’s first fringe event, Climate Catastrophe: The Case for a Socialist Green New Deal is hosted in association with Labourlist, and will be taking place at 12:30 on Monday 27 September, in the Ambassador room of the Hilton Brighton Metropole (Level 1). Speakers are set to include FBU general secretary Matt Wrack, John McDonnell MP, Rebecca Long-Bailey MP and Kate Hicks of Labour for a Green New Deal. The chair will Zarah Sultana MP.
The second event, Grenfell Tower And The Building Safety Crisis: Decent, Safe Homes For All, is taking place at 17:00 on Monday 27 September, in the Lancaster room of the Hilton Brighton Metropole (Level 1). It will feature FBU general secretary Matt Wrack, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Mike Amesbury MP (invited), Kate Ewert of Labour Campaign for Council Housing and building safety campaigner Natalie Carter.
The Fire Brigade Union stand in the conference exhibition can be found at Stand 13.
The union looks forward to welcoming its members and any interested guests to both its fringe events and its stand in the conference exhibition.
