Firefighters set for 24-hour stoppage

BEXHILL firefighters are preparing a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, January 23, as the long-running national pay row with employers seemed no closer to a settlement this week.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Jan 2003, 13:44 BST

Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:06 BST

Mark Mitchell, Fire Brigade Union (FBU) rep at Bexhill, says there's only a very small chance the strike will be averted when leader Andy Gilchrist sits down with employers for last minute talks on Monday.

But employers made their position clear this week - there'll be no pay rise above four per cent without the implementation of the Bain Report, which recommends a drastic overhaul of the service and working practices to save money.

The FBU has said no to the Bain Report and is demanding a 40 per cent increase but would settle for 16 per cent.

The report recommends the repeal of Section 19 of the Fire Services Act, which would mean local authorities could close and downgrade stations and move firefighters without the permission of the Secretary of State.

Leading Firefighter Mitchell says that's unnacceptable and the cuts in the Bain Report would cost lives.

Bexhill