Firefighters to Lobby Against Biggest Ever Proposed Cuts in History of Cambridgeshire’s Frontline Fire Service

MEDIA RELEASE

Firefighters, Fire Officers and Emergency Fire Control Staff from across Cambridgeshire will gather at 12 midday tomorrow (Thursday 26^th May 2011) at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Head Quarters in Huntingdon to lobby Members of the Fire Authority ahead of their 2pm meeting to decide the largest package of cuts to frontline emergency services ever seen in the history of the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack will be attending to address the lobby and to show the support of the national union behind the campaign against the frontline cuts.

The lobby will also be joined by delegations of firefighters representing neighbouring brigades across East Anglia from Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk in a show of solidarity and signalling the growing unrest of firefighters all over the country at the dangerous and financially driven destruction of the fire & rescue service, which they are convinced will put both public and firefighter safety at risk.

The cuts package affects all areas of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and include proposals that will detrimentally affect the delivery of blue light 999 response to emergencies. The cuts package includes proposals to potentially close and downgrade current fire stations which will mean the public waiting longer for fire crews to arrive when they dial 999. The proposals include the loss of specialist vehicles to deal with high rise emergencies and road traffic accidents as well as cuts in the numbers of firefighters and fire officers, spreading them even more thinly across the county.

Kevin Napier Cambridgeshire FBU Brigade Secretary said:

“Never in living memory has anyone working in the fire service in Cambridgeshire faced cuts of this magnitude and our members, the frontline professionals, are convinced both public and firefighter safety will be put at risk if the fire authority nod these proposals through. We have been holding meetings with FBU Members all over the county and to say there is strong opposition to these proposals is an understatement. Cambridgeshire’s firefighters will not sit idly by while the fire and rescue service they, their families and their communities rely upon is decimated.

“These frontline cuts are being rushed through without closer attention being paid first to seeking out other unnecessary extravagances or waste. The frontline 999 service should be the last place for cuts to be considered. We are urging the newly formed fire authority to take a step back, to pause and take the time to think again. After all, very many of the new Elected Members sitting on the fire authority have only had a matter of days to get to know the complex workings of the fire service and to assess the serious impact their decisions on the proposed cuts will have.

We urge the new fire authority to at least defer any decisions until they can make an informed assessment and can consult more widely with the constituents they represent and the professional fire crews who work on the frontline in their communities.”

Matt Wrack FBU General Secretary said:

“FBU members here in Cambridgeshire and up and down the country are saying enough is enough. They are facing attacks on their pay, pensions and professional standards. But their public service ethos remains as resolute as ever and they will not stand by while the service their communities have the right to expect is dismantled. They are dedicated professionals who are prepared to risk their own lives in the service of their communities and they are rightly proud of the professional service they deliver and they will have my full support in their fight to maintain that”.

FBU officials will be available for comment. For comment and interviews contact:

CONTACT

Kevin Napier FBU Brigade Secretary  07824 – 438858

Phil Mc Quillen FBU Brigade Chair    07920 – 799558

Adrian Clarke FBU Regional Secretary  07917 – 017713

Footnote to Editors.

The following Early Day Motion has been tabled in Parliament:

EDM Tabled
1835 FUTURE OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE 19:5:11
Signed by 2 MPs

Dr Julian Huppert

That this House notes with concern that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority will shortly be asked to consider proposals to cut wholetime and full-time equivalent firefighter jobs, reduce the number of fire appliances and the potential closure of fire stations in its efforts to save in excess of £4.2 million when figures from the Audit Commission show that Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service already spends the least per head of population on its fire services; further notes that the wholesale change in the membership of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority has left new members with only one week before being asked to take a decision on proposals that would have a profound impact on fire cover and front line firefighter jobs in Cambridgeshire; is concerned that these cuts would follow on from years of successful efficiency savings and coincide with a maximum 9.5 per cent. cut in the local government grant to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2011-12; and calls on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority to defer this decision until their next proposed meeting so that new members of the Fire Authority have sufficient time to properly scrutinise these controversial proposals.

[R] Relevant interest declared

McDonnell, John [R] Labour Party Hayes and Harlington 24.05.2011
Huppert, Julian Liberal Democrats Cambridge 19.05.2011

Annual Conference Record of Decisions

http://www.fbuberkshire.co.uk/about/annual-conference/

Election Of LGBT National Committee Secretary

CIRCULAR: 2011HOC0221MW
19^th May 2011
TO:  ALL MEMBERS

Dear Brother/Sister,

I wish to advise you, in accordance with the Rules of the Union, that the Executive Council has decided to conduct an election for the position of LGBT National Committee Secretary.

The current holder of the post, Brother Pat Carberry, is eligible for re-election.

Nomination forms will be dispatched by Head Office to All Brigade Committees in the near future.

Best wishes.

Yours fraternally,

MATT WRACK
General Secretary 
MW/PW/JW 

Download Circular in PDF format

FBU conference discusses pension strike

MEDIA RELEASE

A strike in the fire service over changes to the pension scheme came a step nearer today as the Fire Brigades Union conference asked members to “prepare for national strike action.” But delegates rejected a call from London firefighters for an immediate strike ballot and a strike in August.

General Secretary Matt Wrack said the coalition government wants to have us “working longer, paying more and getting less at the end of it.”

Ministers want firefighters to work until the age of 60, but Mr Wrack asked if the public “really wants firefighters of 60 and over coming out and trying to rescue people from buildings.”

The successful resolution promised that the union is “committed to seeking genuine dialogue and negotiations with government” and said that firefighters “will always be extremely reluctant to take any form of industrial action.”

But Mr Wrack was not optimistic about the outcome, believing that “the only answer will be national strike action and co-ordinating that with colleagues in other unions.”

London organiser Ben Sprung said an immediate ballot for strike action would “ensure that we are committed to taking action.” He was supported by Pauline Perry of Berkshire who said: “PCS have thrown down the gauntlet today – can we not do the same?”

FBU conference “Fire Service pay strike nearer”

MEDIA RELEASE
18 May 2011

A national fire service strike over pay came a little closer this morning when the Fire Brigades Union conference voted for a campaign “which, if necessary, should culminate in a ballot for industrial action up to and including strike action.”

General secretary Matt Wrack told delegates that there had been no pay offer in 2010 or 2011. The union had submitted a pay claim in 2010 which did no more than keep pace with inflation as measured by the RPI.

“If we are talking about taking on our employer we are talking about national strike action” he said. “A fight on pay will come when this union and its members are ready for it. A strike in the fire service is a very serious step to take and no one does it lightly.”

But firefighters would not allow their pay to be steadily eroded, he said. “In the 1970s it was hard to recruit firefighters because this was a low paid industry. We cannot and will not allow it to go back to being a low paid industry.”

***ENDS***

FBU conference: Government’s policies will make crisis worse

MEDIA RELEASE
18 May 2011The government’s diagnosis of Britain’s economic ills is wrong, and so are its cures, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack told his union’s annual conference today.

“The government says our public sector debt is too high. Last year the debt was £890bn, or 62% of GDP, and £117bn of that was to find the bailout of the banks” he said.

“That’s not high by international standards. Germany and Spain are the only major EU economies with a lower debt stock than Britain.

“It’s not high by historical standards. For the entire period 1916-1971, public sector debt as a share of GDP was higher than it is now. In 1947, public sector debt was nearly four times this level, nearly 250% of GDP. But the government didn’t slash services, it created the National Health Service and the National Fire Service.

“The government says the public sector deficit is too high. But in 1991, John Major’s government racked up a budget deficit of 6.3% of GDP, almost the same as last year’s 7% deficit, even though this recession has been nearly three times as severe as the recession of the 1990s.

“The real problem is the collapse of tax revenues. And the government’s cures will make the illness worse. Half a million public sector workers face the axe, and so do another half million in the private sector whose jobs depend public sector contracts. A family at the bottom of the economic league will lose three times as much as a family at the top, under government plans. VAT, which hits the poorest, has been increased, and corporation tax cut. They are cutting economic growth and that will make it harder for the economy to recover.”

***ENDS***

Yougov Online Survey – Fbu Members’ Attitude To Pension Changes

CIRCULAR2011HOC0216MW
18 May 2011
TO:      ALL MEMBERS  

Dear Brother/Sister

What is the purpose of this survey?You will be aware of the Government’s proposed changes to the firefighters’ pension schemes which will mean many FBU members will have to ‘Work longer, Pay more and Get less’.

The FBU is totally committed to maintaining quality pension schemes for all its members and has been firm in its opposition to many of the suggestions in the recent Hutton report and the Government’s proposal to increase employee contributions by around 3% starting in April 2012.

If the FBU is to be successful in any campaign against this new wave of attacks on pensions you have got a big part to play.

In order to get a clear understanding of the strength feeling of the membership on all the key Government proposals, we have commissioned the independent polling organisation YouGov to survey members about these changes.

This survey will allow you to express your views on what your pension scheme means to you and how you may react to the proposed changes. It’s simple to access the online survey and it will only take a few minutes of your time to complete.

How do I take part?It’s easy!

You can type in this URL address www.yougov.co.uk/fbu-pensionssurvey or go onto the FBU website where you will be directed to it from the homepage.

It takes a couple of minutes, the questions are straight forward and are designed around your particular pension scheme whether you are in the 1992 Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (FPS), the 2006 New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (NFPS) or the Local Government Pension Scheme.

It is very important that you take part and that you give your considered responses to the survey.

Why use YouGov?YouGov is a respected independent polling organisation and the information we obtain from this survey can be used to highlight our member’s attitudes without giving anyone the opportunity to say it is biased or distorted.

Please only fill in the survey once and do not use the same computer as any colleagues as the survey is designed to highlight repeat responses from one source. (i.e. try to avoid using any work computers)The survey will be live from midday Thursday 19^th May 2011 until Friday 17^th June 2011 and you will get several reminders to take part. All FBU officials will be encouraged to maximise membership participation in this survey and delegates to FBU Annual Conference will get a briefing on its importance.

Why should I bother?Your views are extremely important to us and if we are to conduct a successful campaign against these proposed changes we need to understand the strength of feeling of all members and use any information we gather to formulate a strategy.

There may be a particular proposal that you are strongly opposed to and this may even mean you have to consider your continued membership of your current scheme. If this is so we need to know.

What happens with the information?Part of the work YouGov are undertaking is to gather the information and produce a report on FBU members’ attitudes towards the proposals for future pension changes. This report will be an extremely valuable tool that we can use to defend the future pension provisions of its members.

This is only one step in any campaign but it is a vital step and one that you need to take part in – please take part and make your views heard.

Please take a few minutes of your time complete this survey – this is a chance to highlight your feelings towards the Government’s future plans for your pension scheme.Best wishes.

Yours fraternally

MATT WRACK
GENERAL SECRETARY
MW/sll

Download Circular in PDF format

PAY 2010/2011

CIRCULAR 2011HOC0215MW
18 May 2011
TO:    ALL MEMBERS

Dear Brother/Sister

You will be aware that the Fire Service Employers refused to make an offer on pay for 2010. The matter therefore remains unresolved. The Union has today submitted the attached letter registering a claim for 2011. The background to this is the decision of the Government to seek a pay freeze in the public sector although it is important to note that Fire Service pay is not determined by Central Government but by the NJC for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services.

Members are asked to ensure that the issue of pay is debated at Branch meetings alongside the other key industrial challenges we face on jobs and pensions. A model resolution has been circulated on these matters.  Further information will be issued as available.

Best wishes.

Yours fraternally

MATT WRACK
GENERAL SECRETARY
MW/sll

Download Circular in PDF format
Download Letter in PDF format

FBU Warns Cuts Will Push Service to Breaking Point

The Fire Brigades Union says the recent spate of wildfires across parts of the UK highlights the danger of cuts to frontline fire services the Government is demanding over the next four years. The number and size of wildfires often need hundreds of fire crews and appliances working around the clock for days and even weeks to control and douse fires.

The union says the Government is failing to respond to growing pressures placed on fire and rescue services by climate change, pointing to mass wildfires in 2003 and 2006. In other years there have also been major flooding and extreme winter weather conditions lasting for weeks and even months.

“In 2007 there were terrible floods and in recent winters serious weather conditions which stretched fire crews for weeks. The impact on the fire service of climate change is established, sustained and on-going.

“Frontline fire crews are demanding to know how the Government expects them to cope with large scale and prolonged labour intensive incidents with far fewer frontline fire crews. We’re over-stretched now, and frontline crews are making it clear we’ll be at breaking point when the cuts bite.”

***ENDS***

Media contact: 0208 541 1765 or 07736 818100

Responding to these largescale and prolonged problems are, by their nature, enormously labour intensive.

The union is challenging Government to explain how already over-stretched fire services, which have seen years of cuts to frontline firefighters, will cope in the future. It warns the cuts – fire services are seeing budget cuts of 25% over four years – will push the service to breaking point when dealing with major incidents.

FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack said: “Increasingly dry and warm weather have created the perfect conditions for the huge increase in the large number of wildfires so far this year. These incidents often result in hundreds of fire crews and appliances working around the clock for many days.

“Fire crews have been working up to 15 hours without a break in desperate conditions, well beyond accepted safe limits. They have been working to the point of exhaustion to protect their local communities.

“There has been enormous strain on officers and emergency fire control staff have also handled thousands of extra calls and been placed under major pressure. In some areas the fire service has been stretched so much in dealing with these incidents there are almost no crews or fire engines to deal with other emergencies.

“In the last few years we have faced huge numbers of incidents caused by climate changes. In 2003 we had 152,700 grassland fires, which was a near record and officially attributed to warm weather.

“There was major flooding in early 2004 and serious flash flooding in 2005. There were 93,500 wildfires in 2006, another spate year, when fire crews were stretched to breaking point dealing with large numbers of major fires and then flooding across the UK

Fire Union Outrage with Cumbria Chief Over Cuts

The Fire Brigade Union has attacked a report which proposes giving the Northumberland fire service to Cumbria chief fire officer to run, giving him a pay rise and pushing through cuts. The report containing the proposals goes to the Northumberland County Council Executive on 9 May and was written by Cumbria chief fire officer Dominic Harrison.

Northumberland FBU said it was outrageous the author of a report should put forward proposals which includes options and proposals from which he would gain financially if they were approved. The union warned that other senior fire service managers would also want to cash in if the proposals go forward.

The Fire Brigade Union warned that none of the range of options, which includes full-blown merger, have any clear evidence of benefits or improvements. While savings are mentioned there are no figures or evidence to support them.

It warned that merging Cumbria and Northumberland would mean the county council losing responsibility for the fire service. Northumberland council tax payers could also pay more of the costs and be paying taxation with less accountability and control in return.

The union said the report was “business case lite” with little detail of benefits, risks or costs. What is clear is there would be job cuts and less of a fire service in both counties.

Pete Wilcox, FBU Regional Secretary, said: “The Cumbria chief fire officer has a simple proposition: give him Northumberland fire service to run and give him more money for doing it. In our view it is blatant and outrageous.

“If most of the proposals put forward are agreed the council tax payers of Northumberland will be subsidising Cumbria. No evidence has been produced to substantiate the claims of greater efficiency and value for money.

“Senior managers will be available for less time to serve the people of Northumberland whilst being paid more. The people of Northumberland and their firefighters will not be safer as a result of these proposals and deserve better.

“There is nothing in this report for anyone in Northumberland. But the author, in Cumbria, would financially gain personally if this goes ahead and any joint senior management team would want to make a case for the same treatment.

“What is on offer at the end of this is a cut back fire service, with less control and accountability. But the senior managers would be paid more.

“Northumberland County Council must look at this and throw it out before more time and money is wasted.

The last thing we want is money being shelled out to the inevitable management consultants if this report goes forward.”

***ENDS***

Contact:

Andy Noble, FBU Executive Council Members – 07827300065
Pete Wilcox, FBU Regional Secretary – 07827300063
Kieran Brennan, Northumberland FBU Brigade Secretary – 07827300071

Next Page »