Strike firefighters 'locked out'

Firefighters taking part in a further round of strikes in South Yorkshire will not be paid during the action, their employers have said.

The county's fire authority said it had a team of 200 in place to provide "full cover" during 17 short strikes planned between 6 and 15 November.

It said firefighters could turn up to work in a "voluntary capacity", but would not be entitled to any pay.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said staff are now "effectively locked out".

'Cynical' ploy

The authority has rejected the FBU's claim.

The industrial actions centres on a row over proposed changes to shift times.

Several strikes have already taken place, with the fourth of five consecutive days of strikes starting at 1600 GMT on Tuesday.

The fire authority said the 17 short periods of strike action between 6 and 15 November were a "cynical attempt" to undermine its contingency arrangements.

The authority said these plans involved a 200-strong team which would provide "full cover" during the strike period.

FBU regional secretary Ian Murray said: "They are effectively now locking firefighters out.

"Even for the hours we are available to come into work, we will not be paid."

Planned strike times 6 November: 1800 to 2400 7 November: 0000 to 0400. 0800 to 1300. 2000 to 2400 8 November: 0700 to 1200. 2100 to 2400 9 November: 0900 to 1400 10 November: 0000 to 0100. 0800 to 1300. 1700 to 2200 11 November: 0400 to 0900. 1200 to 1700. 2300 to 0400 12 November: 1000 to 1500. 2100 to 0200 13 November: 0700 to 1300. 1700 to 2300 14 November: 0900 to 1400. 1800 to 0300

A fire authority spokesman said the arrangements had been put in place to "maximise safety", and that crews involved in the strike would be allowed to attend their place of work in a voluntary capacity.

The authority also said it planned to hold talks with the FBU over the use of a conciliation service such as Acas to try to resolve the dispute.

Authority chairman Jim Andrews said: "We are committed to achieving an agreement by negotiation.

"We have instructed fire service managers to contact the FBU to seek their views on the possibility of inviting an independent facilitator, from an organisation such as Acas, to come to South Yorkshire and assist with our negotiations."

He added: "The strike times announced recently by the FBU are a cynical attempt to disrupt the contingency teams, and therefore place the public at increased risk."