Firefighters start conciliation talks

Andy Gilchrist will lead the FBU delegation

Firefighters' leaders are to meet officials at the conciliation service Acas on Wednesday to look at ways of resolving the fire pay dispute.

The Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) had been due to begin another eight-day strike at 0900GMT but decided to suspend that action when they were invited to Acas.

FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist, who will be leading the union's delegation, says the Acas mediation offers a glimmer of hope that the deadlock can be resolved.

Firefighters say their resolve is strong

The local authority employers are expected to talk to Acas officials on Thursday, with the possibility that negotiations between the two sides could resume by next week.

They say the meetings should not be conciliatory and arbitration hearings but should be sessions where the Acas team can act as chair to allow the two sides to negotiate between themselves.

There is still a huge gap between the union's 40% pay demand and the government's stance that any increase over 4%, which can be covered by the employers, must be funded by modernisation changes.

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Firefighters say their resolve is as strong as ever - and had even been hardened by the government's attitude and hints of job cuts.

However, both sides agree that about 80% of the modernisation agenda being pushed by the employers and the government is acceptable.

But there are three main sticking points.

BBC labour affairs correspondent Stephen Cape said the problem areas were:

joint control centres between ambulance, police and fire services

changes to the shift system

firefighters' overtime.

The FBU says its emergency control operators carry out a specific role which is vital to the firefighters operations.

It also disagrees with the government that there are fewer fires at night, which means there should be fewer firefighters on duty.

The FBU points out that more fire-related casualties occur at night.

And the union says firefighters already work 42 hours a week and making them work overtime could be dangerous.

Strike threat

If the Acas hearings fail to lead to a resolution between the two sides, further strikes are threatened.

The first is an eight-day strike from 16 December until Christmas Eve.

Further industrial action is planned for January, February and March next year.

The controversial inquiry into the fire service, headed by Sir George Bain, is due to report around 16 December and will expand on interim recommendations for modernising the service, including having fewer firefighters on duty at night.

The union has refused to take part in the review and has attacked many of its interim findings as dangerous.