Socialist Appeal - South Yorkshire firefighters return to strike action

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South Yorkshire firefighters return to strike action

By Dick Vivian
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Following the break down of negotiations aimed at resolving the long running dispute over shift changes and threatened job loss by the South Yorkshire Fire Authority hundreds of firefighters are set for another round of industrial action. Crews now plan to walk out at 9am this Sunday 24th January for 48 hours. An additional eight day period of industrial action will start at 9am on January 27th and ending on February 4th at 6 am. The dispute centres on the authority’s determination to impose new contracts which would include 12 hour shift patterns seriously affecting the work/life balance of the firefighters. Such long shift patters would impose on firefighters’ family and social life, which they rightly regard as an important aspect of job satisfaction in what is a stressful and dangerous job. Previously the fire authority had threatened to sack 744 firefighters if the new contracts were not accepted However the authority has now offered 11 hour day shifts and 12 hour night shifts, which have been rejected in a local vote, so the fire chiefs went back to the original demand of 12 hour shifts. Jerry Pagan, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union warned there could be more strikes after the upcoming industrial action if no progress was made in ending the dispute. He added “We don’t believe there is a necessity to change the shift patterns. We are concerned that if they equal up the shift duration to 12 hour shifts, that gives them the ability to take fire engines off the run at night and reduce fire cover for the public of South Yorkshire” The other regional secretary Ian Murray said “The fire authority must stop threatening to sack firefighters so they can get their own way”

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