Merseyside firefighting staff are starting industrial action which could last for six months.
The action follows a ballot of Merseyside Fire Brigades Union members, which returned a result in favour of not undertaking pre-arranged overtime. Firefighters, control members and Green Book staff will take part in the action on December 1, for a period of up to six months.
The Merseyside ballot and subsequent action is entirely separate from the national ballot or action which may take place in relation to pay. According to the union, staff in Merseyside face a number of issues, including reductions in staffing and new shift systems.
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Merseyside Fire Brigades Union said the issues faced by its members are:
- The imposed reduction in night-time staffing numbers in Merseyside Fire Control Room from the agreed level of six to five.
- The introduction of new duty shift systems - without negotiation - which essentially require new firefighters to work both wholetime and retained and breach nationally agreed terms and conditions in relation to overtime rates of pay.
- The non-agreed expansion of the firefighter role in contracts for all new entrants.
- Firefighter Apprentices being required to attend the workplace outside of core hours to undertake training sessions, assessments, charity days and exams.
Ian Hibbert, brigade secretary for Merseyside Fire Brigades Union, said: “Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services’ continued refusal to abide by locally and nationally agreed negotiation procedures has left Merseyside FBU members with little choice but to take industrial action. Like many workers, our members are suffering through the worst cost of living crisis in decades, whilst simultaneously having to fend off attacks on our terms and conditions of service, perpetrated by our local fire authority.
“The FBU in Merseyside have always sought to resolve issues through constructive dialogue and negotiation. However, by seeking to alter the terms and conditions and even the very job role of a firefighter at point of entry, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have left us in no doubt that it is their intention to cut the FBU out of discussions entirely.
“Let me be clear on this, Merseyside FBU has made no demands which could result in less fire engines, less fire stations, slower response times or fewer staff in our fire control room. The Fire Brigades union has always fought to maintain fire cover, campaigns such as the one led by the Fire Brigades Union in 2018 to save night-time fire cover at Liverpool City Centre and Wallasey fire stations stand as testament to this.
“FBU members are not asking for a lot, in fact the vast majority of the issues which have led us to this point could be resolved at no cost to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority or the public whom we serve. All we are seeking is that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service honour our nationally agreed terms and conditions and enter into negotiation and reach agreement with the Fire Brigades Union on all issues.”
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service said: "We are disappointed at the outcome of the FBU ballot on local industrial action but our position remains the same as previously stated; we will not meet any demands which could result in less fire engines, less fire stations, slower response times or fewer staff in our control rooms overall.
“Cessation of the day crewing duty (DCWTR) and hybrid duty systems would lead to an immediate reduction in fire engine availability, potentially taking our current numbers from 31 to 20 (if we reverted all duty systems back to the only one the FBU agree with) which would ultimately lead to the closure of fire stations. The public may recall it was these changes, which prevented Liverpool City and Wallasey Fire Station closing overnight.
“The changes to the staffing in our fire control room have actually led to an increase in the numbers of staff employed - moving from 32 to 33 Fire Control Officers with immediate effect, with a further 2 posts built into the model for operational resilience during periods of high demand.
“The changes, introduced following extensive consultation with staff and the public, are based on the demands placed on the Service. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is twice as busy during the day than it is at night, so the changes have actually resulted in an increase in staff available during the day and a decrease at night when there are less calls. Resilience has been built into the model to ensure the Service can respond to all types of incident (day or night) as staffing can be increased by alerting retained control operators should demand increase (staff are paid 10% on top of their normal salary for this commitment and they are paid for any additional hours worked).
“This very much mirrors the DCWTR/Hybrid arrangements on fire stations, in effect the Service will be able to increase the number of personnel in the control room to meet an anticipated or immediate operational demand on the Service, whilst allowing for more training and exercising to take place. The introduction of the Station Manager role (which constitutes an increase in control numbers) with specific responsibility for the management of the control room will ensure Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is able to respond to all foreseeable risk.
“No member of Fire Control staff or operational staff have been compelled to accept new terms and conditions of employment. No one has or will be required to change their contract of employment because of the revisions to the operating model.
“With regards to contractual changes elsewhere, we don’t agree that these are a non-agreed expansion of the firefighter role. The contracts of employment to which the FBU ballot makes reference have been in place since 2016. The contracts capture the Service’s response to flooding, terrorism and medical intervention, notably when asked to assist by our other emergency services, but this has always been the case.
“The upshot of this action short of strike will be the unplanned loss of fire engine availability, which would ordinarily be offset by the use of overtime.
“We understand the action will also affect staff who use/have used pre-planned overtime to minimise the impact of the cost of living crisis on them and their families and whilst the Chief Fire Officer met with MPs last week to commence a lobby of government to secure better funding, including better pay for all staff, we know it won’t come soon enough if we are able to secure it at all, so we question the legitimacy of this action, particularly at this time.
“We also know there may be some effects on our work in the community but we are already putting in arrangements to mitigate it and in doing so protect the most vulnerable.
“We remain committed to constructive dialogue with all our representative bodies, dialogue which puts our communities first.
“We meet weekly with the Fire Brigades Union and will continue to do so.”
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