West Midlands - trade dispute
Firefighter strike over new contracts on hold for now
Firefighters in the West Midlands have called off planned strike action after the fire service employer agreed to halt the introduction of controversial contracts for new entrants, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said. However, the union said the development did not mean that the industrial...
Firefighters vote in favour of strike action over exploitative contracts
Firefighters in the West Midlands have voted by a margin of 9 to 1 for strike action in a dispute over the imposition of contracts on new entrants into the service. The results of the ballot were released today (29 May) and show a 90% vote for strike action on an 82% turnout. The Fire Brigades Union...
Firefighters ballot for strike action against 'free for all' contracts
The Fire Brigades Union has released a video update about the industrial dispute in the West Midlands where members are currently balloting for strike action about the imposition of contracts that would see new recruits take on work outside the agreed role of a firefighter. In this video Andrew...
Firefighters in the West Midlands to ballot for strike action
Firefighters and emergency control operators in the West Midlands will ballot for strike action in an escalating row over the imposition of new contracts, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said today. Contracts introduced by West Midlands Fire Authority mean new firefighters entering the service...
Nine weeks of struggle
The first national FBU strike in 1977 established a pay system that was to last decades. Helen Hague explains how and why. Forty years ago, firefighters across the UK began their first national strike as anger over low pay bubbled up from the grassroots. The Labour government never really believed...
Fire chief slammed after firefighters sent home from shift
A chief fire officer has been accused of behaving recklessly after he sent home two firefighters from their shift on Monday (16 Jan) when they refused to operate a Tactical Response Vehicle (TRV). The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) say that these vehicles are unsafe because they cannot perform...
