Fire strike talks to resume

Firefighters were angered by Mr Brown's speech

A new round of talks aimed at ending the fire dispute will be held on Friday.

Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Andy Gilchrist announced he will be having exploratory discussions with the local authority employers, a day before the current eight-day strike is due to end.

Mr Gilchrist met other union leaders on Wednesday afternoon to seek support for the walk-out.

At the same time the government and local authority employers held discussions on what savings could be made from changes to working practices, but made no comment at the end of the day's talks.

He's clearly looking for a scapegoat and the FBU is the chance for him to absolve responsibility

Phil Goalby
FBU

Meanwhile, Chancellor Gordon Brown made a clear reference to the firefighters in his pre-Budget report to the Commons, saying "inflationary and unaffordable settlements" put the economy at risk.

He said: "To continue to steer a steady course, we must hold firm in our demand for discipline in pay-setting across the economy."

The chancellor added: "Public sector rises must be set at a sustainable rate and justified by productivity."

But striking firefighters at one station, Walsall in the West Midlands, reacted angrily to Mr Brown's speech.

	:	Opposed to change?
Picketing firefighters have their say

They told BBC News their industry was more productive than the national average - 55% compared to 19% - but endured lower wage inflation.

Phil Goalby, brigade chairman of the FBU in Walsall, said: "The chancellor's figures for the past few years have been wrong.

"He's clearly looking for a scapegoat and the FBU is the chance for him to absolve responsibility."

The Walsall firefighters were also sceptical about the resumption of talks, and emphasised their willingness to stay on the picket line for as long as it took to achieve their demands for higher pay.

'Threat to lives'

Earlier, Downing Street played down a suggestion by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, that 11,000 fire service jobs could go as part of the deal.

Tony Blair's official spokesman said Mr Prescott was simply saying 20% of firefighters were due to retire in the next two or three years and may not need replacing.

Firefighters are sceptical about progress

He added: "That does not mean we foresee a reduction in starting levels at that level."

Earlier this week he said centralised control rooms - set up jointly by the military, senior fire officers and the police - had proved highly successful since the eight-day strike started on Friday.

Joint emergency service control rooms is one of the changes to working practices wanted by the government and opposed by the FBU.

The country's largest union, Unison, has claimed such mergers could cost lives.

The union's senior national health officer, Maggie Dunn, said control rooms would be turned into call centres.

She said: "You can't afford to have 'call waiting' while people's lives are at risk."

Seven people have now died in house fires since the start of the eight-day strike on Friday.