Responding to the government announcing minimum service levels for the fire and rescue service yesterday, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said:
The Conservative government has announced regulations that amount to a draconian attempt to ban strike action in the fire and rescue service.
This is a direct attack on the democratic rights of firefighters, control room staff and other fire service workers.
These rules will baffle anyone who has worked in the fire sector. Firefighters will be left bemused by the threat that 73% of fire engines must be crewed during any strike action. A decade of cuts has left many fire engines sitting empty in stations every day.
The government has refused to fund the fire and rescue service adequately, leaving fire stations closed, fire engines axed, and 1 in 5 firefighter jobs slashed.
Conservative politicians have consistently ignored firefighters’ warnings that under-resourcing is putting lives at risk. This cynical attempt to attack firefighters’ pay and conditions reeks of hypocrisy and will do nothing for public safety.”
