Firefighters: The heated argument

THE war of words is hotting up in the firefighters' dispute with both the Government and the Fire Brigade Union refusing to budge.

But in what is fast becoming a propaganda exercise, why is the strike taking place? What points do the two groups disagree on?

The Government says it is prepared to offer more money but only if the fire service agrees to reforms set out in an interim report by Sir George Bain. The FBU says the pay offer is "insulting and derisory" and has voiced concerns about the other reforms proposed.

National Secretary Andy Gilchrist says: "If they were talking about something that might improve the levels of efficiency, safety or service to the public we would be interested, but it's about saving money."

There are several key areas that both sides are divided on. The report calls for what it says is a two stage pay increase totalling 11 per cent.

But firefighter Simon Connor, FBU representative for Bolton, claims this is misleading.

"What is on offer is a four per cent increase now and a further seven per cent increase only if the Bain report is implemented by next November.

"Not everyone will get this because they won't be able to comply in time. We had already been offered 16 per cent by local authorities earlier in the year," he says.

The FBU is sticking to its original request for 40 per cent, which would take pay to around £30,000 per year, a figure it claims would bring them in line with other comparable workers. A Government earnings survey recently reclassified a firefighter as "an associate professional and technical occupation".

But this, says Tony Blair is unrealistic. He says: "If we did say yes to 40 per cent for firefighters, how could we say no to claims by nurses, teachers or police officers?"

The Government claims that similar wage rises across the board would raise the basic rate of income tax by 20 per cent.

Under the present system firefighters are not allowed to work overtime - something the Bain report says should change.

But Mr Connor says they are being too vague in what they mean. "Overtime hasn't been explained at all. Will it be compulsory or voluntary and does it make up part of the 11 per cent on offer? There is also the fear that this could be used in an effort to cut jobs," he says.

Another change would come in shift patterns -- the number of firefighters on duty would be varied, reducing the number working at night when there are fewer 999 calls.

According to Mr Connor this is a ridiculous proposition: "At Bolton we are busy all the way through shifts and it's obvious we have bigger fires at night. People are asleep which gives the fire longer to take hold and fewer firefighters means fewer appliances to deal with fires.

"Even if people are on call it will take them longer to respond than if they are at the station when the call comes in and this is crucial time we will lose," he adds.

Recruitment is another area the report wants to see improved. It claims single level entry should be abolished to encourage graduates or people from other professions to join the service, along with the promotion structure being changed.

It also wants more women and people from ethnic minorities encouraged to join. The service is currently 99 per cent male and 98.5 per cent white.

But again, Mr Connor thinks the report has it wrong. "At the moment every recruit enters as a firefighter and any promotion they gain means they take this experience with them. They are suggesting that people should come straight in at officer level - and we are going to lose buildings and firefighters because the people giving the orders won't have the necessary experience of fighting fires."

The fire station in Bolton town centre has two female firefighters and Mr Connor feels the FBU is already making stringent efforts to recruit both women and ethnic minorities.

He adds: "Greater Manchester Fire Service recently had a recruitment day and promoted this issue so it's a redundant argument. It is true to say they are not coming forward but that can't be blamed on the brigade."

It has been suggested that firefighters should be taught other emergency skills to improve collaboration between services and even suggests training firefighters as paramedics.

But firefighters are already trained and equipped to deal with a variety of situations. Mr Connor himself is a trauma specialist and as such does not think he would need much more training.

"But what happens if I'm working as a paramedic and there is a fire? I can't be in two places at once and this is going to put more strain on the fire service. Again, it would cut the number of people able to deal with emergencies," he says.

Firefighters are in a different position to the police force in that they can strike. The police are not allowed. The suggestion is that, should they be given the pay rise they want, they should also lose the right to strike. Mr Connor doesn't think this is a fair request.

"What would happen in the future if we feel the Government is being unreasonable or putting lives in danger. Our primary concern is always for the safety of the public and it is this, and not just pay, that we are fighting for. If the Government try and introduce dangerous cuts we need the power to stop them," he says.

The question everyone wants to know is what happens next? The negotiations have actually been going on between the Government and the FBU since February, yet we are still experiencing the first strike in 25 years.

"Both the Government and the Union have to sit down and sort this out, but we are already at stalemate," says Mr Connor. "We hope this is sorted out quickly, just as much as the public do, but there has to be a big change in the opinions."