Fire Brigades Union:

3 June 2004

Members will be aware of the vote yesterday at the executive council to accept the latest wording to bring to an end our dispute and to ensure that the outstanding 3.5% pay increase due to us is paid. Today the General Secretary wrote to the employers as follows.

The decision of the Executive Council to accept this form of words is conditional on three points:

1. That the agreed form of words be incorporated into the proposed Revised Grey Book.

2. That the appropriate form of words to cover Public Holiday working be agreed. and

3. That the 3.5% backdated to November 2003 is paid immediately.
Agreement at this stage would enable both sides to concentrate on progressing the necessary work in Stage 3.

I look forward to your earliest reply.

I have yet to hear the outcome of the employers meeting today on whether or not they agree the final wording.

Members have been asking why we are not going to take our debate to the reconvened conference. The emergency resolutions asking for this were ruled out of order and the issue we were faced with yesterday was a simple vote on either accepting or rejecting the latest wording. The regional mandate was to reject. This was done. However the way other EC members voted is irrelevant for us. It is a matter for their own regions. We have the decision and we have to move forward.

We will continue to build the region up and to work together in and between our 6 brigades. We have a lot facing us. We face the threat of control mergers, further attacks on our conditions and the intended separation of officers and retained members by employers future actions.

As soon as the employers position is know to me I will circulate it to you.

TRUST.

Total Regional Unity, Stick Together.

Dean Mills