London fire brigade strike

http://www.fbu.org.uk/newspress/pressrelease/2010/10_27.php

PEACE TALKS AT LONDON FIRE BRIGADE BREAK DOWN

Last night on national television, the leader of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), Brian Coleman, invited us to conciliation talks at 9am this morning. It’s dreadfully disappointing that after four hours there was still no sign of him or the Chief Fire Officer, Ron Dobson. Regrettably, the brigade representatives in attendance had nothing new to say to us.

Where was Councillor Coleman at 9am, having said that he would be here in talks with us? He is not taking this issue with the seriousness that firefighters and Londoners expect of the leader of the LFEPA.

The LFEPA proposals on new working hours would seriously disrupt firefighters’ family lives and lead to cuts in fire cover. All the same, the LFEPA does not have to reach agreement with us on shifts to get us to call off the strikes. They just have to withdraw the sacking notices that were sent out on August 11th.

Our message is that we will cancel all planned strikes if the brigade agrees to lift the mass sackings. We can then negotiate a fair settlement as equal parties.

***ENDS***

As has been mentioned above, winning public support is crucial here – especially for the govt to take any notice. Striking over bonfire night hardly seems the best way to do it – fireworks displays will be cancelled – bonfires torn down etc as Heath & Safety officers declare them too dangerous without adequate fire brigade cover.

Sounds like a PR own goal no matter how sound the motives behind it.

I’ve never ever been called to an organised bonfire or firework display so I can’t see that happening.

During the 2002 dispute we were meant to strike bonfire night but decided not to after being fed lies. Then the employers laughed at us as they had won , and I mean high rank officers actually came to stations and took the pi55. as they hadn’t had to sort bonfire night cover

The only problem I can see in all this is the employer / govt are always going to win all lfb can hope is some kind of comprise

PEACE TALKS AT LONDON FIRE BRIGADE BREAK DOWN
I watch John Snow last night arranging that 🙂
I wonder if there will be any mention on tonight’s news.

Our message is that we will cancel all planned strikes if the brigade agrees to lift the mass sackings.

Since that hasn’t happened, you can be sure that this : “Brian Coleman, invited us to conciliation talks at 9am this morning” was nothing more than a totally meaningless PR exercise.

It is very clear the employer has no intention of negotiating, despite the demand by some, that the Fire Brigades Union should negotiate.

.

fireworks displays will be cancelled – bonfires torn down etc as Heath & Safety officers declare them too dangerous without adequate fire brigade cover.

Why ? Why would a out of control bonfire present a danger to human life ? Just walk away from the bonfire ……..simply really. When was the last time a bonfire killed a load of people ? Most injuries on firework night occur because of fireworks. Which is hardly an issue for firefighters – what do you want them to do exactly ?

Actually the fact that many people will be out of their houses watching firework displays, means that there will be less people at home which need rescuing.

Anyway, don’t any of you believe what the FB management says ? Brian Coleman chairman of the LFEPA has publicly said that FBU strikes will do nothing : “the only losers in all of this will be firefighters”. According to him the public will not suffer. Don’t you believe him ?

And if you really are that worried about firefighters not going to work, then why the **** aren’t you worried about every firefighter in London getting the sack ? ffs.

It isn’t a joke, they really are going to sack them all.

Apparently my boss, the commisoner for London fire brigade, has personally given the LFB press office orders to “leak” details of employees home addresses to the press so that a smear campaign can be run against us. Thats nice. Is that even legal?

This email was sent last night. It’s on the radio so is common knowledge now.

Hi

Me again. You may have read my previous emails which provided confidential info and predicted various events in the dispute – all of which came true. As I have said previously I have pretty good sources.

Here’s something you ought to know. It made my blood boil and I hope it does yours too.

Assetco are struggling. One of its directors resigned in mysterious circumstances a few days ago, several strike breakers have pulled out and there are whispers at Union Street that the company may not be able to deliver for the 47 hour strike on 5 November. All of this has been relayed to Dobson who went loopy and told them they had no choice but to come up with the goods.

When the FBU announced it would strike on 5 November there was a top level meeting involving some senior members of the Brigade’s Corporate Management Board and the media/communications department. Because of their concerns over Assetco, senior Brigade managers came to the conclusion that they must win this dispute before the 5 November strike starts…and they are investing their hopes in winning a media war by turning the pressure on the FBU.

I have it on the best authority that it was agreed at the top level meeting that the Brigade’s media department was instructed to “unleash the forces of hell” on the FBU. That’s how Dobson sees himself winning the dispute. It was no coincidence that within hours we saw highly personal attacks against Matt Wrack in tabloid papers as well as false claims that the Union is demanding a £10k pay rise. Matt Wrack’s ex-wife has been doorstepped by the Daily Mail. There were also lurid stories planted in today’s papers about how firefighters used violence against Assetco. All this stuff was fed to the press by the Brigade’s media department.

But this is the worst thing. The Brigade’s media department today released confidential info to the Sun and Daily Mail regarding the addresses where firefighters live. These newspapers will shortly run stories about how nearly 3000 firefighters live outisde of London in places like Newcastle, Dorset, Scotland and Spain. The line will be “How can firefighters claim they have it so bad when they live in these far flung places? They must have a wonderful shift system.” The newspapers will also attack us for receiving London Weighting when we don’t live in London.

The Brigade will obviously deny that they released these details, but wait and see if the stories appear. Trust me they will, over the next couple of days. THEN YOU CAN DECIDE WHO’S TELLING THE TRUTH.

James O’Brian.mp3

This topic makes my blood boil. The amount of lies in the papers is beyond a joke.

My brother especially enjoyed the ‘firemen can earn upto 50k with overtime’ one.

The real joke is why Brian Coleman still has any say in the matter.

50k where where lol

50k where where lol

Why its right here in the Daily Mail, so it must all be true………..

**** me I’m lucky to be held back an hour or so a month and that’s strangely increased since our hours changed as we get more calls between 6-7 than we did between 5-6 our brigade even acknowledge the change in hours was for the worse for them but can’t be seen to backtrack. Which really does make you wonder about the whole London situation

Well theyre now out for another few hours,

A DAY OF VIOLENCE AGAINST FBU MEMBERS

Three London FBU members were injured two seriously on picket lines yesterday, after separate incidents in which strikebreakers drove their vehicles directly at picketing firefighters.

In the first incident, a striking firefighter at Croydon fire station suffered serious pelvic injuries, after a car being driven by a strikebreaking brigade manager appeared to accelerate recklessly towards the picket line. The injured firefighter who was not attempting to impede the vehicle struck the windscreen and was thrown several feet.

The London Air Ambulance was called, and the firefighter was removed to hospital. His enraged colleagues later slammed the strikebreaking crew, employed by the firm AssetCo, for refusing a request for a first aid bag and blanket as the firefighter lay injured on the ground. The driver of the car was arrested at the scene.

Later that evening, during a protest called by the FBU at Southwark training centre, the union’s executive council member for London , Ian Leahair , was struck by a fire appliance being crewed by strikebreakers. Witnesses watched in horror as the AssetCo driver approached the official picket line and, as striking FBU members walked towards his vehicle in an attempt to speak to the crews, hit the accelerator, injuring Ian Leahair and also knocking a police officer to the ground.

Ian Leahair lay prostrate for several minutes before an ambulance arrived. He was removed to hospital with suspected broken ribs. Police later confirmed that the AssetCo driver had been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

In another incident at the Southwark protest, a firefighter from Dagenham suffered a hand injury, after an AssetCo driver sped mindlessly towards the picket line. This incident was reported to police, who took a statement from the injured firefighter and are currently investigating the matter.

Commenting on these events, FBU regional official Paul Embery said, “What we saw yesterday was shameful and brought disgrace on the brigade. I saw several incidents where strikebreaking AssetCo crews mindless thugs and cowards with their faces covered by firehoods showed a callous disregard for their fellow human beings by driving at high speed across lawful picket lines. It was almost as if they had been instructed to hit the accelerator whenever they encountered an official FBU picket.

“It’s ironic that, as part of its smear campaign against its own employees, the London Fire Brigade claimed last week that AssetCo crews were subjected to ‘violence and intimidation’ during the first strike. Well, now we can see who the real hooligans are. The only people to have been injured and hospitalised during this dispute have been FBU members and a police officer.

“Yesterday, our members were guilty of nothing more than establishing strong, peaceful and lawful picket lines. Yet, they frequently found themselves at risk of injury, owing to the reckless actions of AssetCo crews.

“Our thoughts are with those who were injured, and we will be doing everything we can to assist them and their families.”

A full and separate report on the events of yesterday’s strike will be issued shortly.
🙄 😯

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11663993

Video footage there of the LFB members not being intimidating at all and of course I wish those injured well and investigation reveals what happened soon.

Anyway I’m not sure how LFB copes with 20 calls in 8 hours, that’s almost 1.5% of what LAS gets in the same period.

As a serving firefighter in Surrey I find many of the comments posted on here somewhat misguided, ignorant, offensive and somewhat disappointing to say the least. This strike is not about money or interfering with second jobs etc etc. Believe everything you read in the papers by all means but don’t be surprised when people respond with the facts. There are some really ignorant people on here.

The problem is soup it’s not made to clear to the public what it’s about. It seems to be that LFB members were told they’d been having shifts changed to 11 hours and 13 hours. The Union didn’t like this and management Said it’s the way it is and new contracts will be drawn up. This has then gone to industrial action as no agreement could be met.

So the summary seems to be striking due to new contracts being needed to introduce a shift change. Is that about right?

Believe everything you read in the papers by all means but don’t be surprised when people respond with the facts

’cause they read the Daily Fail

I support the firepeople, but didnt they know that a 12 ton vehicle is going to do them damage if they get in the way of it,any large vehicle is best allowed plenty of room to manouvere.

Thankfully they where not on strike this morning in Irlam near manchester.

I support the firepeople, but didnt they know that a 12 ton vehicle is going to do them damage if they get in the way of it,any large vehicle is best allowed plenty of room to manouvere.

The 2 FF’s and policeman were hit by a car driven by a station manager who was arrested.

It’s the shift change that will allow further cuts to night cover that has not yet been made public but is common knowledge within the service and the union. This will involve closure of stations and less cover at night. The Bonfire night date is a crafty move by the union to stir it up. I have friends in that brigade who are not happy about the date either but cannot do anything about it now.

Some of them may or may not be firefighters

There seems to be quite a few reasons why the strike is going ahead, but i’m confused now what the official reason actually is. One minute is purely the fact that mass sackings have been threatened, then the other its actually the slight shift pattern changes which would amongst other things “seriously disrupt firefighter’s family lives”. Obviously form a PR point of view the former is more of a heavy hitter which most would have sympathy for. Doesn’t help that from what i’ve seen this is hardly making the national (tv) news.

Later that evening, during a protest called by the FBU at Southwark training centre, the union’s executive council member for London , Ian Leahair , was struck by a fire appliance being crewed by strikebreakers. Witnesses watched in horror as the AssetCo driver approached the official picket line and, as striking FBU members walked towards his vehicle in an attempt to speak to the crews, hit the accelerator, injuring Ian Leahair and also knocking a police officer to the ground.

It’s the shift change that will allow further cuts to night cover that has not yet been made public but is common knowledge within the service and the union.

Ah right could explain why people are ignorant if the FBU hasn’t bothered informing the public the reason behind it. Seems odd though it wasn’t mentioned in the ballot either and that they voted on being ‘sacked’ according the FBU website.

The other day lfb employers replied to the fact they brought nothing new to the table by saying ‘we have removed some of the new terms and conditions in the proposed new contract to try bring an end to the dispute’

So clearly they are now admitting there are other things as well as the hours for the first time

A fire brigade manager has been arrested after a car ploughed into a picketing firefighter outside Croydon fire station.

Stunned firefighters rushed to help Red Watch colleague Tamer Ozdemir, who screamed out in pain after being struck by the car.

Station manager Chris Young who is believed to have been in the car at the time was arrested by police.

Mr Ozdemir, believed to be in his 40s, was taken by ambulance to St George’s Hospital in Tooting as a priority suffering from a serious injury to his pelvis.

Enraged firefighters, who had been protesting since 10am against changes to shift patterns, began hurling abuse at strikebreakers leaving the scene, banging on the side of the fire engines shouting “scabs” and “traitors”.

Mick Shaw, president of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) was with the protesters when the incident happened at about 3.20pm.

He said: “A fire engine returned from an incident and drove into the fire station, its crew refusing to wind down their windows and talk to the pickets.

“It was followed by a car driven by the officers, and as the pickets tried to talk to the driver of the car, it accelerated suddenly and one of the striking firefighters was thrown up and into the windscreen.”

Police cordoned off Mitcham Road outside the fire station as the London Air Ambulance hovered overhead, blocking traffic along Old Town.

Firefighter Mick Andrews was one of the first to reach Mr Ozdemir, helping give him first aid before running to nearby strikebreakers to get a blanket for the casualty.

He said: “I’ve never seen anything like it.

“I asked for a blanket because someone had been run over and was completely blanked.

“I went around to the officer in charge of the appliance and asked him for a blanket and he told me to get it off another appliance.”

The strike was called off after police arrested Mr Young, telling firefighters the station had become a crime scene.

Strikebreaking crews from private company Assetco had been responding to emergencies since crews began their picket at 10am, and were being supported by senior brigade staff driving cars.

A spokesman from the London Fire Brigade said: “During demonstrations at Croydon fire station one person believed to be demonstrating has been injured after being hit by a car.

“London Ambulance was called at 3.20pm and a man has been taken to hospital with pelvic injuries.

“Due to a large number of protestors at the station and that incident, we have suspended the use of that station.”

A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 3.18pm to reports of a road traffic collision involving a car and a pedestrian.

“We sent an ambulance crew, a single responder and the air ambulance.

“Our staff treated on patient, a man reported to be in his 40s, for pelvic injuries.

“He was taken as a priority to St George’s Hospital in a ground ambulance.

“Another patient was treated at the scene for minor injuries but not taken to hospital.”

Station manager Chris Young has been arrested by police.

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/topstories/8488277.Fire_station_manager_arrested_after_car_ploughs_into_striking_firefighters/?ref=rss#commentsList

Anyway I’m not sure how LFB copes with 20 calls in 8 hours, that’s almost 1.5% of what LAS gets in the same period.

Drac, that would just be the ones that Asset co. are responding to, they are only going to respond to confirmed fires and road traffic collisions where persons are confirmed trapped, not the multitude of calls that we usually respond to. The LFB usually responds to over 3000 calls a day and any where up to twice that during for example periods of heavy rain when a lot of flood calls are made.
Oh and i’m reasonably sure the LAS has more ambulances than we have fire engines, and they are over stretched and could in all honestly do with more resources.

Ah thought it might be the case as 20 seemed a bit mad. Yeah sure LAS do and if anything like up here could do with a lot more. I wish them all good luck in their case but I seriously don’t think it’ll make much difference. Winning public support when you provide essential services is also extremely difficult.

for all those that are unaware of the real reason for the strike and think its just about money or trivial issues, heres a site that explains the real issues.

fire brigade dispute[/url]

It’s all still a bit unclear to me, I agree the right-wing media is misrepresenting things but I still don’t think it’s a reason to strike. Even assuming the long-term goal is to close certain stations at night, it’s not really up to fire-fighters whether it’s workable or not, that’s what management is there for (rightly or wrongly). Lets be honest, I bet most fire fighters are more worried that the closures would mean loss of jobs, yet that web-site just implies the downside would be more deaths/risk to the public so clearly trying to play the PR game as well (and muddying the issue in the process).

An independent , although admittedly left leaning, journalists observations. http://www.francisbeckett.co.uk/

HSE to investigate Asset Co

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11690392

Letter sent to White Watch, obviously LFB have no intention of negotiating at the next meeting on Thursday

http://staff.london-fire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/White-watch-letter-03-Nov-2010.pdf

Seems as if its off, the governmnet has given way and the firemen win.

Possibly not won yet, they’ve (LFB management) agreed that they will go with the union to arbitration and that will suspend the termination of contracts until after the scheduled authority meeting on the 26th January, so hopefully a negotiated settlement can be reached by then and there will be no more strikes, but, last time something like this happened the authority leader Brian Coleman decided he didn’t like it and reversed the decision.

Reading news so may not be accurate looks like the FBU are swaying toward the new shift pattern. So plenty achieved there then.

aye, from what i understand theres certainly no ‘winner’ yet. union have called off the strikes as they think that london will be unsafe over bonfire night with a poorly trained assetco looking after them.
but the union certainly havent got what they want, which is the threat of the sack being lifted from them, and no station closures etc after the olympics.
this is just what i understand from news filtering down to the ‘shires’
have we been told right bazz?

Sadexpunk – yes that is essentialy correct, i think the union were getting quite a few phone calls from fire fighters to put off this weekends strike, and i think the management were eager to have us on duty as well.

Drac – We (union members) have always been well aware that shift change was unfortunately inevitable, what we didn’t want was for insincere negotiations followed by being sacked and having worse conditions imposed, if we wanted our jobs back, we want a negotiated settlement that pleases both sides and doesn’t leave the public at long term risk. from cuts to the service.

Cheers Bazz that explains it better. I’m not a believer of strike action by essential services so pleased to here there was some sensible members asking for it to called off, even more so for Union to listen to it’s members for once. I’m not a fan of unions at the minute but that’s personal reasons.

Good luck hope the negotiations work out the best they possibly can for you.

“Bonfire Night 05 November 2010

The Brigade’s 999 Control Centre took 527 x 999 calls in the period between 4pm-11pm.

On Bonfire Night firefighters expect to be called out to a number of small fires (rubbish fires, bonfires etc). This evening firefighters dealt with 89 small fires, with 27 of these believed to be bonfires that got out of control.”

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/LastestIncidentsContainer_05nov22.asp

“A number of fire engines which were to be used to provide emergency cover in the capital during a threatened Bonfire Night strike are being withheld from service, it was learned.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it was a “disgrace” that the London Fire Brigade was not releasing the 27 fire engines, which were going to be used by staff at a private firm before the strike was called off.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “We were abused by Government ministers and the London Fire Brigade for proposing to strike on Bonfire Night.

“We cancelled the strike and now the fire brigade is withholding 27 fire engines from London’s firefighters and the people of London. It is disgraceful and hypocritical.”

A fire brigade spokesman said: “The 27 fire engines that were being used to provide a contingency level of fire service during strike periods will not be released until the industrial dispute is fully resolved.

“Many fire engines are used each and every day for training purposes while others are taken out of service to undergo maintenance. The capital still has the cover it needs to deal with emergencies.”

The union has held two eight-hour strikes in a row over new contracts and were planning a two- day walkout before announcing it had agreed to attend a meeting of the Resolution Advisory Panel, an independently-chaired body that can make recommendations to resolve the dispute.

The panel will meet on November 16 and, if an agreement is reached, the brigade said the process of re-engaging firefighters on new terms and conditions would be withdrawn.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h2h0XsPjkCeyzJxEcy_YaEwAQWOA?docId=B38004881288974154A00

Hmmm, typical spin, what they didn’t say was how many fire stations were completely shut because the appliances had been taken away or there were not enough officers to ride in charge of them, half of LB Southwark’s stations were shut as was Deptford.