Government

The Conservative government, following on from the Queens speech, will today start the process to introduce new thresholds on strike ballots and other changes that will inhibit industrial action and restrict the rights of trade unions. The government is proposing new thresholds for industrial action...

Calls for a public inquiry into the £1 million Essex Emergency Fire Control fiasco continue following the new Fire Minister’s visit to the Essex Fire and Rescue HQ at Kelvedon Park on Friday. The mobilising system failure also affects Bedfordshire. The FBU has asked the new Fire Minister and Essex...

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) today announced it is mounting a legal challenge to the government over what it says are unfair pension arrangements for its members. Under new arrangements introduced on 1 April, firefighters are expected to ride fire engines, run with heavy fire hoses and carry people...

Mark Francois, Minister of State for Communities and Resilience with responsibility for the fire and rescue service, struck a first by visiting the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) headquarters in Kingston upon Thames in Surrey this week – meetings between the FBU and government ministers usually take...

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, talks about the future of the union’s campaigning in light of the Conservative general election win.

The FBU has responded strongly to plans by the government to bring fire brigades under the control of police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. Commenting on news reports over mergers Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Emergency services are completely unique in the way they work...

Reacting to the publication of an Audit Scotland report that revealed a funding gap of £43M in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “When the single fire service in Scotland was set up, it was claimed by the Scottish Government that it was about protecting...