Labour going through firefighter strike over cuts that ‘make public much less secure’
Next week the Firefighters Brigade Union will launch the process of strike action, which will then go to a vote in what could be a huge blow to Keir Starmer’s Government
Keir Starmer is facing a firefighter strike(Image: Getty Images)
Keir Starmer is facing the first firefighter strike under a Labour government since 2002-03.
Next week the Firefighters Brigade Union (FBU) will launch the process of strike action, which could then go to a vote. For now the process is only in Oxfordshire, but FBU sources say without action over cuts, the situation could spread nationwide.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, FBU General Secretary Steve Wright urged ministers to support heroes putting their lives at risk. He explained: “I have been meeting with the Fire Minister this week to say these cuts over years of austerity have gone too far, and actually firefighters are calling on the union to do more. Our members are quite rightly talking about industrial action.
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“It is absurd to try and say this is not about saving money. I think people just need to be honest and say there isn’t enough money invested in the fire service, we’ve seen cuts and cuts and cuts and cuts to our budget. What we need is central government to stand up and say ‘we cannot see any more erosion of the fire service and the jobs that firefighters do’.
“We’ve seen an increase in operational incidents that firefighters attend over the last two years, calls are going up, but our numbers are going down, our response times are getting slower. Firefighters are less safe and it means the public is less safe”
Last year modelling from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC ) claimed standalone fire and rescue authorities face a £102 million real terms cut due to Government grant reductions. These cuts would take place over the next three years, and are the equivalent of losing approximately 1,500 wholetime firefighter posts.
Stressing the seriousness of the risk of strike action, Mr Wright added: “It would be hugely significant, I’ve taken strike action twice in my career. It’s not something that firefighters do lightly, it’s not something we want to do, we join the fire service to help our communities. It would be hugely damaging for this Government that said it would come in and invest in public services.”
The UK Government has been approached for comment
