Firefighters strike for third time over pensions
Members of the Fire Brigades Union were on strike for a third time this morning during a two-hour walkout across England and Wales.
Fire stations in Shrewsbury and Telford were affected by the strike which took place between 6 – 8am.
The Service’s Fire Control in Shrewsbury, which deals with 999 calls in Shropshire, was unaffected by the strike.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary, Matt Wrack, said: “The next step forward for pension negotiations is simple and achievable.
“If the government is serious about firefighters being protected from being sacked without access to their pensions as it claims to be, why won’t it draft the pension regulations accordingly?
"We have even made it easy for them by providing the necessary wording following legal advice.
“The threat of firefighters facing the sack without access to a full pension as they get older is only one aspect of our campaign, but discussions could move forward quite easily with this simple step.”
Both the FBU and the national fire service employers have received independent legal advice showing that regulations governing firefighter retirement must be drafted to ensure that promises over job and pension protection can be kept.
The FBU has provided a draft of the necessary regulations during negotiations, although the government has refused to consider it.
Fire Minister Brandon Lewis wrote to firefighters late on Friday worsening his proposals on pensions and retirement age.
