Shropshire will be reliant on a 'small number' of firefighters who choose not to strike if industrial action goes ahead, the Fire Brigades Union has said.
Shropshire will be reliant on a "small number" of firefighters who choose not to strike if industrial action goes ahead, the Fire Brigades Union has said.Firefighters announced on Monday that they are the latest body planning to walk out over pay and could be set to strike as early as this month after the Fire Brigades Union voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when they were balloted last month.
Billy Holland, regional secretary for the West Midlands FBU, said:"It's important to say that we haven't yet called dates for strike action and we still hope that strikes can be avoided. We have given a period of 10 days for an improved pay offer to be made and until that time passes we won't call any strikes.
"There will however be an agreement that allows firefighters and firefighter control staff to respond to major incidents during strike action if they wish to do so." There were nine fire-related deaths during that course of industrial action. Among the fatalities was a 76-year-old woman who died in Welshpool Hospital following a blaze at her home in Falcon Court, Maesyrhandir.
But the union says that since 2010, its members have experienced a 12 per cent drop in real terms earnings. "Firefighters have seen their living standards driven down over the course of this Government and in real terms have lost £4,000 a year due to successive cuts. We don't believe that people risking their lives every day should be struggling to pay their bills.
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