We don’t want politicians to praise us as heroes, we want fair pay, safe working conditions and a service the public can rely on
Firefighters have voted to strike for fair pay, and the numbers speak for themselves. With 88% of our members voting “yes” on a 73% turnout, the Fire Brigades Union has an emphatic mandate for industrial action. In Northern Ireland, the result was even bigger with a remarkable 94% voting for strike action.
In an effort to resolve the dispute, we have given the government and the employers a 10-day window to make a decent offer. If they don’t, we will go ahead with the first nationwide fire strike on pay in 20 years.
Matt Wrack is general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union
