Wildcat fire action escalates

Picket lines could return if agreement is not reached

More firefighters from London, Cheshire and East Anglia have joined unofficial strike action across the UK over a new pay dispute.

The escalation comes as official talks between the firefighters' union and employers broke up on Wednesday with no agreement over the delay in a pay increase.

The new wildcat action came hours before Bonfire Night - one of the busiest nights of the year for fire crews.

Firefighters - who will all still be answering 999 calls - say employers have gone back on their word over pay following a deal struck in June after a series of official strikes.

They had expected a 7% pay rise on 7 November, but local authority employers say it will be only 3.5%.

The remainder will be paid next year, backdated to 7 November on condition that changes being made in the fire service are complete.

The employers said the agreement had always been that changes had to be made, and then verified by the Audit Commission - a process not expected until March.

The talks broke up with the employers making clear there would be no change in their position, with the increase still having to be paid in instalments.

London firefighters - who announced their decision at a special meeting - were taking unofficial action between 1600 and 1800 GMT on Wednesday and again between 0700 and 0900 GMT and 1600 and 1800 GMT on Thursday.

A union source told the BBC they would also be calling for an urgent conference of the FBU to discuss the whole agreement.

Not only were they unhappy at not receiving the extra 7% in full, but they disagreed with other aspects of the deal.

Unions 'were told'

Although emergency calls are being responded to as normal, many firefighters around the country are refusing to go on training exercises or do community fire safety work.

But firefighters in Wales seem to have ended any unofficial action, with their counterparts in Scotland saying they have made their protest and will work normally for the time being.

The employers have blamed union leaders for misleading members.

Sir Jeremy Beecham, chairman of the Local Government Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) had been told in September the pay rise was conditional and would be met in full at a later date.

The unofficial action by firefighters started in Norfolk and quickly spread to at least 13 counties in England, plus brigades in much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Cardiff.

This is seen as some sort of political vindictiveness Andy Gilchrist FBU

The long-running dispute appeared to have been resolved in June, after months of strikes in which the army used green goddess vehicles to provide cover.

Under the June agreement, 4% was paid immediately, back-dated to last November.

A further 7% was due this month, followed by a final rise of 4.2% next summer, lifting a firefighter's pay to £25,000.

The prime minister's official spokesman said strikes were not the way forward.

He said the settlement the firefighters had agreed to was above inflation, and urged it to modernise.

'Always clear'

Mr Gilchrist said members were "extremely angry" at the two-stage pay rise, seen as "political vindictiveness".

Tristan Ashby, of the Retained Firefighters' Union representing several thousand part-time firefighters, blamed the FBU for dragging its heels on modernisation.

"It has always been clear the deal was conditional, but they've done nothing about it," he said.

He said the four main conditions which should have been implemented were:

• An end to a ban on overtime
  
• Accepting "co-respondency", in which fire crews can keep people alive with defibrillators until ambulance crews arrive
  
• Allowing full-time firefighters to take on retained duties on their days off
  
• Allowing "mixed crews" of both retained and full-time firefighters.