Bonfire Night Warning As Firefighters Strike

Firefighters in England and Wales will go on strike this evening after negotiations on pay and pensions broke down, despite the likelihood of it being one of the busiest days of the year for the fire service.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) will walk out from 6.30pm to 11pm, and again for two hours from 6am next Monday - the day before Bonfire Night.

The union went on strike last month but called off another stoppage when a deal appeared to be in sight.

But officials said the Government and fire employers failed to offer guarantees on jobs or pensions as a result of changes to the pension age from 55 to 60.

FBU general secretary, Matt Wrack, said firefighters were keen for the issue to be resolved through discussion but the Government was ignoring its own evidence which highlights the schemes as unworkable and unaffordable.

Emergency response services will be 'severely reduced' due to the strike

He told Sky News: "We have been trying to negotiate pensions for nearly three years now and it is very frustrating fro our members and firefighters across the country.

"We want a pension scheme that works, that takes account of the job that firefighters actually do, and the Government is completely ignoring the evidence and is expecting firefighters to be working on the frontline, going into burning buildings at 60 or beyond in order to get their pension and that's simply unrealistic and dangerous."

He said they would be "expected to perform the full range of roles that an 18 or 20-year-old would do, and meet the same fitness standards".

"We have tried to avoid strike action for as long as possible. No firefighter wants to go on strike. We have deliberately chosen not to call action on the busiest nights ... so we have tried to do what we can to keep people as safe as possible. The general advice for people around Bonfire Night is to attend organised events.

"Firefighters want a pension scheme that takes account of the hazardous nature of the job, is affordable and workable for them and for the taxpayer.

"We hope this brief strike will mean the Government returns to negotiations so we can agree a sensible way forward."

The union added it was led to believe the Government was willing to offer a guarantee that firefighters whose fitness levels declined with age would not face the sack.

Firefighters from Tynemouth Community Fire Station on strike in September

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said its emergency response service would be "severely reduced" because of the strike.

Chief Fire Officer James Courtney said: "Don't hold your bonfire or fireworks display tonight.

"We're satisfied with the contingency arrangements we are putting in place, but our 999 service will still be severely depleted so we need the public to help keep our fire engines available for real emergencies."

Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: "This strike action by the FBU is completely unnecessary and does nothing but damage the good reputation firefighters have with the public.

"We offered firefighters similar fitness principles to those the FBU accepted in Scotland. The FBU should reconsider their decision to strike - announced just four days into discussions - and work for a resolution to this dispute.

"The public will be baffled by the FBU's course of action when they hear that the deal being offered to firefighters gives them one of the most generous pension schemes in all the public sector.

"A firefighter who earns £29,000, and retires after a full career aged 60, will get a £19,000 a year pension, rising to £26,000 with the state pension.

"An equivalent private pension pot would be worth over half a million pounds and require firefighters to contribute twice as much."

The union has said the figures were a "myth".

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