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| pay campaign 2002 | ||
| To: ALL MEMBERS SOUTHERN
REGION From: DEAN MILLS MEMBERS UPDATE: 28th January 2003 This is the statement given to the Commons an hour ago by John Prescott. He claims that the removal of section 19 processes will actually help the public. Section 19’s, whilst I accept can be used for re-location etc are used in the main for the closure of stations and removal of appliances. It cannot be emphasised enough the damage this will do particularly in conjunction with the powers he wants to confer on Chief Fire Officers who will be given a free hand to close whatever they wish. On one hand Mr Prescott says he is simply giving power to local CFO’s and Fire Authorities. If that is the case then why does he insist on being involved with negotiations between us and our employers? Mr Prescott wants to impose his will on the Fire Service and local people. He is as arrogant and ignorant as the Parliamentary Labour Party’s front bench. It cannot be seen as any way fair or just that when we have abided by, and remained within the law of the land, the Deputy Prime Minister changes it to suite his personal wishes. Members of the FBU cannot and will not accept being treated in this manner. We understand the intent of the Government who continue the same old arguments over pay. • We have money for war but not for fair pay for working people.The cost of running the dispute is more than paying a fair settlement. Why is this Government hell bent on fighting Firefighters and Control Staff. What do we do that is so wrong? Mr Prescott says he is acting fairly and in the best interests of the Fire Service and the public. This is his statement, draw your own conclusions. “With permission Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the fire dispute and the Government's proposals in the light of the breakdown of discussions at ACAS. The House will be aware that all sides welcomed the resumption of talks after last Tuesday's 24 hour strike. The Chair of ACAS agreed terms of reference for those talks with both the Fire Brigades Union and the employers. The terms of reference are very wide and say that both sides should, and I quote, "bring their respective agenda to the table and neither side would seek to rule any issue in or out". Despite this the FBU Executive decided yesterday to go ahead with further strikes and at nine o'clock this morning the FBU walked out for the fourth time. They will be on strike for 48 hours and at present they are scheduled to walk out again for a further 48 hours on Saturday morning. Mr Speaker, while we sit here, the Armed Forces and other emergency services and the many retained firefighters who have continued to work during the strikes, are providing cover for the striking firefighters. I am sure the House will want to join with me to express our thanks for their courage and hard work and for the way they have conducted themselves throughout this dispute. I have made clear that the Armed Forces will have the resources they need. As I said when I made my last statement on 20 January, we have now provided 177 red engines to augment the Green Goddess fleet. I can now inform the House that for the first time in these strikes we now have a number of aerial water towers to provide cover in extreme situations. The Army also has 30 new thermal imaging cameras. Mr Speaker, the history of this dispute has been one of last minute ultimatums and walkouts by the FBU. Let no one in this House be in any doubt. The switch from a series of 8 day strikes before Christmas to a programme of 1 and 2 day strikes after Christmas does not represent a change of heart on the part of the FBU. Far from it. All it represents is a change of tactics. Their aim is minimum pain for FBU members and maximum disruption for everyone else. It is the Government's duty to maintain public safety, and we will continue to do so. But the House should be aware that so far this dispute has cost the taxpayer more than £70 million. And costs continue to rise at £1 million a day for as long as the dispute continues - whether or not the FBU are on strike. That money has not come from the Reserve. It has come from regeneration and other programmes in my Office designed to help the most needy in our communities. Mr Speaker, the FBU is now trying to shift its ground by claiming that this dispute is about job cuts and protecting the Fire Service rather than pay and modernisation as set out by Sir George Bain's independent review of the Fire Service. The FBU is not interested in the modernisation agenda. It has put out false and misleading information about thousands of job losses and hundreds of fire station closures. That is a gross distortion of the proposals set out by Sir George Bain. Sir George made it clear that there is absolutely no need for compulsory redundancies. Modernisation will not lead to hundreds of fire station closures. Instead, it will lead to a better Fire Service, greater safety for the public and more rewarding careers for Fire Service employees. The FBU is now seeking a judicial review of the proposed repeal of section 19 of the 1947 Fire Services Act. That is a sign of how completely they are opposed to modernisation. The repeal of section 19 will do no more than put the management of the Fire Service in local hands. All it removes is a bureaucratic obstacle, but it is an obstacle that the FBU has used to good effect to protect its outdated working practices. Contrary to what the FBU claims, local communities will still be consulted on Fire Service priorities and plans. Let no one be in any doubt, the FBU's claim remains what it has been for the last nine months - a 40% pay rise for firefighters and 50% for control room staff without any commitment to modernisation whatsoever. No change. No compromise. No modernisation Mr Speaker, talks at ACAS started on 4 December. There have been days and days of talks about talks. And yet the FBU has walked away without any substantive negotiations. I have had numerous discussions with the General Secretary of the FBU and the Government has given him the benefit of the doubt. But this latest strike - coming so soon after the terms of reference for the negotiations were agreed - leads me to conclude that the FBU Executive is not serious about a negotiated settlement. Mr Speaker, this latest round of strikes confirms that the FBU is playing cat and mouse with the employers, the Government, public safety and public money. The Government and the local authority employers want to see a fully modernised Fire Service providing the best service to the public. The FBU refuses even to negotiate about that. The employers are rightly now insisting in the light of the last two months of strike action that talks cannot take place while strikes are in progress or threatened. As yesterday's decision by the FBU showed, the Union is determined to press ahead with further strikes. As a result discussions have broken down. The Fire Service is not like any other industry. The public cannot be put at risk on a weekly or monthly basis. It is essential to resolve the dispute. We all want to see a resumption of talks. The employers have rightly put forward a fully costed proposal on pay and modernisation based on Sir George Bain's agenda. This is the only basis for negotiations. But the Government has to be prepared. The FBU may continue to refuse to discuss modernisation. So, it is against this background that I have concluded that the time has come to take a further step to help break the deadlock. As a matter of priority I will introduce legislation in the public interest to take new powers of direction over the Fire Service. These powers will hopefully bring a new and much needed sense of reality into future negotiations. I will discuss through the usual channels including the devolved administrations the best way to introduce this legislation. I will draw on provisions in the Fire Services Act 1947, which were repealed in 1959. Those provisions allowed the Secretary of State to specify the pay, terms and conditions of the Fire Service. In addition, we will propose powers to direct the Fire Service on its objectives and its use of facilities and assets. Legislation in itself will not end the dispute, but it is prudent to take these powers to use if necessary to help reach an agreement. The current strike is due to end on Thursday morning. I hope that the FBU will sit down again and negotiate with the Fire Service employers. But for the avoidance of doubt, the Government's position will not change. We will continue to implement the Government's part of the Bain agenda. We will continue to resist these strikes. And we will continue to do all we can to protect public safety - especially at a time when there is a heightened level of terrorist threat and the Armed Forces are under increasing pressure from competing demands. Mr Speaker, it will take some weeks to put in place the legislation I have proposed today. Meanwhile, the whole House will agree that the best possible outcome is for the employers and the FBU to reach a negotiated agreement and I urge the FBU to call off further strikes and get back to the negotiating table.” Members will also be amazed that we are being asked to undertake even more new skills when we are not paid for those we use at present. Can it be right to expect us to train in new procedures like those outlined under New Dimensions when we don’t receive recognition of our present skills? I do not believe this is fair or indeed the best way forward for future industrial relations. Brigades should bear this in mind when thinking up such plans. It is hard on members who have seen their pay cut buy hundreds of pounds so far not be very bitter. Spare a thought for members like Simon Green who have had NO PAY AT ALL for months because they were carrying out FBU duties, and instead of an apology after several hearings and court cases get sacked. All those who have had their pay stopped in part can only imagine how to survive with a 100% reduction! On the issue of pay : CHECK YOUR STOPPAGES. Many are wrong and you must ensure the stoppages have been calculated correctly. We WILL ensure every case is concluded fairly even if it means taking legal action against Brigades. Dean Mills
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