PRESS RELEASE 30.01.04

GOVERNMENT SAVIOURS ARE STABBED IN THE BACK

Thousands of Retained firefighters are now potentially earning less even though they continued to work through the recent Fire Strikes.

During the recent Fire Service dispute thousands of Retained firefighters continued to work, due to them either not being members of the Fire Brigades Union (who balloted for industrial action) or because they would not leave their communities without fire cover. Official figures have revealed that there were 12,500 out of a possible 18,100 who continued to work.

These Retained firefighters ensured that public safety was not compromised as well as a lesser cost to the taxpayer because fewer Green Goddesses were deployment on the streets of the UK.

These firefighters have now seen their reward, they have been handed a new pay structure which ensures in many cases that retained are doing the same amount of work for less income than was previously the case, So much for a pay rise.

The new structure goes even further by penalising those personnel with additional responsibility on stations with a higher call volume. While the National Employers have asked for payment protection to be implemented by Fire Service payroll departments, the vast majority either do not have these in place, do not understand the new system or have not yet provided firefighters with the means to check the accuracy of their earnings in pay packets.

This new system has only been in place a couple of months and already it looks likely to be the final straw that will break the camel’s back, firefighters are handing in their notice and leaving fire stations either ‘off the run’ temporarily or for longer periods of time.– exactly the opposite of the Governments intentions according to their White Paper and recent Fire Service bill.

The RFU urges drastic action by not only the Government but by Fire Authorities and Chief Fire Officers who seem to have buried their heads in the sand over this issue hoping that someone else will clear-up this mess.

Notes for Editors
Authorised Retained establishment – 18,962
Strength in 24hr units – 15,435
Increase required to produce establishment levels requires a 22.9% rise
Source CIPFA Stats 2003

The New Retained Pay Structure has been formulated by the existing National Joint Council (consisting of 30 National Employers and 27 members of the FBU) which the government concedes in its White Paper is a mechanism which has been failing Fire Service for decades.