'Growing concerns' over fire dispute

The dispute has stumbled over conditions of service

Firefighters' employers have been criticised for making "ill judged" decisions, as the unions and employers hold informal talks to bring an end to the contract deadlock.

The criticism was in a leaked letter from the Staffordshire Fire Authority to the Local Government Association.

It said some of the employers' actions reflected a total lack of trust between them and the Fire Brigades Union.

The letter, sent to LGA chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham, expressed "serious and growing concerns" about the dispute.

"We in Staffordshire are not prepared to sit back and wait for the government to enforce on us a settlement. The consequences of that are frightening not only for the firefighters of this country on who we all depend, but also on the fire authorities," said the letter.

Stumbling block

The decision to hold talks on Friday came hours after deputy prime minister John Prescott revealed a settlement could be imposed once the Fire Services Act becomes law in a couple of months.

The stumbling block in the dispute has been the conditions of service the employers want to introduce, not the pay award of 16% phased over two-and-a-half years.

Sir Jeremy replied to the letter, saying the employers had never sought a win or lose position, adding: "On the contrary it was the FBU which adopted a maximalist position and which sustained it for months, denying even the need for modernisation and change.

"Adopting such a stance of course makes it much more difficult to compromise, but then the whole history of the service, and the reason we are in this predicament, is that the FBU have never had to negotiate and compromise - why should they? They had a formula and a veto."

Staffordshire was "almost unique" in voicing concern among the country's 58 fire authorities, an LGA official said.

"The vast majority stand fully behind the employers' attempts to modernise the fire service."

However, an FBU spokesman said: "We know there is growing disquiet among fire authorities."