[A-List] UK labour militancy & public order

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Exclusive: Firefighters will boycott engines used by military
Ban on red tenders would prolong strike

KEITH SINCLAIR
The Herald, 18 November 2002

FIREFIGHTERS will refuse to operate any fire engines used by the military
during their strike action unless the vehicles are then tested by the
manufacturers.

The Fire Brigades' Union is today set to instruct all brigades throughout
Britain that, if the armed forces are allowed to operate civilian fire
appliances and equipment, members returning from strike action must not use
them until the manufacturers say they are working properly.

The FBU's move, which would prolong the effects of the next firefighters'
strike, due to begin on Friday and last for eight days, follows reports that
some fire authorities might allow the military to use their appliances and
equipment if asked.

The Avon fire authority in England has turned down a government request for
civilian fire appliances and equipment, believed to be the first such
refusal in Britain, while Lothian and Borders fire board has also decided
that soldiers should not be allowed access.

However, some authorities, such as Strathclyde, have said they would
seriously consider such a request.

The move comes as John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, who was last
night holding firm against the firefighters' 40% pay claim, is due to hold a
frantic round of talks today aimed at averting fresh strikes.

The executive council of the FBU is also due to meet in London today and is
expected to tell all brigades that, if the military is given access to their
vehicles and equipment, members should not use them again unless they are
tested by the makers for health and safety reasons and because of insurance
implications.

The Strathclyde branch of the FBU, Scotland's biggest, said firefighters
would not jeopardise the safety of the public, military personnel, and
themselves, or be held liable for damages if the hi-tech appliances, which
can cost more than £300,000 when loaded with equipment, are used by
"untrained amateurs".

The equipment involved would be such items as hydraulic cutting equipment,
oxygen cylinders, and resuscitators, all of which need maintenance by
firefighters to comply with exacting standards.

The use of civilian fire engines by the military is still possible in a bid
to help improve the emergency cover provided during the strikes.

Jim Wallace, the deputy first minister, has asked all eight Scottish fire
authorities for access to older vehicles which are due to be
de-commissioned, and the Scottish Executive refused to rule out the
possibility of the armed forces being asked to use all civilian fire
appliances and equipment.

Kenny Ross, chairman of the FBU in Strathclyde, yesterday met Councillor Joe
Shaw, convener of Strathclyde fire board, to urge it not to hand over
appliances if asked.

He said: "Nobody, including government at the highest level, is legally able
to tell them to hand over vehicles and equipment that the boards own, unless
emergency legislation was passed."

But Mr Shaw said: "My attitude is that fire engines are replacable, lives
are not, and if the government asked us for our vehicles and equipment, we
would have to seriously consider it."

The government was yesterday reported to have been told by senior military
officers that they would not order troops across firefighters' picket lines.

-----

Burning issue for Blair
Premier must take the lead in resolving fire dispute
Editorial
The Herald, 18 November 2002

AN outbreak of fire brings with it its own brand of chaos. Those in the
vicinity can be expected to shout and scream, become confused and
disorientated and have difficulty seeing more than a few inches ahead of
them. All understandable reactions. What is less understandable is when a
government charged with resolving a firefighters' dispute behaves in the
same way.

The latest flashpoint, as The Herald reveals today, is that firefighters
will be instructed by their union not to operate any engines used by the
military during strike action until the appliances are tested by
manufacturers. The effect of strikes will be prolonged as a result. Like
most things about this dispute, the government should have seen it coming
but did not. From the moment a pay claim of 40% was tabled by the Fire
Brigades Union in the summer, it was more likely than not that a strike
would happen. A wise government, knowing that troops might be called on to
operate red fire engines, might have thought it prudent to begin training
early on, yet this process, which unions claim takes 14 weeks to complete,
was started only last week. The government argues that it did not want to be
provocative while negotiations were proceeding. Acting earlier, however,
might have concentrated the minds of FBU leaders on reaching a settlement.
In trying to avoid sending a mixed message, the government only added to the
confusion.

The muddle is now growing worse. Hints from the FBU that it would settle for
a 16% rise were at first rebuffed by ministers. But yesterday, John
Prescott, the deputy prime minister (who dropped into his local fire station
on Saturday for a cup of tea), appeared to soften his stance. While ruling
out a 40% rise, he nevertheless said the government was prepared to make an
"exceptional case" in return for reform of working practices. The Treasury,
however, is sticking to its hard line of no inflationary pay awards. Local
authority employers, who resume talks with the FBU today, are being sent
into the negotiating chamber not so much naked as clueless. For all the talk
about modernised practices producing enough savings to fund a pay rise, the
truth is that the government will have to underwrite the deal. Is 16% a
starting point or a non-starter? Confusion also reigns over the use of
modern red fire engines. The military has shot down the notion that troops
will be told to cross picket lines, so it might now fall to the police or
civilian drivers to do so. Local authorities are not uniformly agreed,
however, on whether they will allow the appliances to be used. Preserving
life might become a matter of postcodes.

With the clock ticking towards the eight-day stoppage on Friday it is long
past time for the government to get its act together. A split appears to be
emerging between those who view this dispute as a standalone industrial row
to be settled and those who want to use it to make a wider point that New
Labour will not roll over for the unions. Should the strike go ahead, more
lives are likely to be lost, attitudes will harden, and the prospect of a
settle-ment before Christmas will vanish. The prime minister must now show
he is serious about averting Friday's strike by clarifying the government's
position and taking personal charge of its strategy. With lives at stake,
the public will not tolerate any more confusion.