interesting comments.
i'll try to answer them in sequence.
the fight against job losses at local level ARE part of a national strategy. quite simply in legal terms the issue has to impact on all 'workers' for all workers to take action. thats why industrial actions in derbyshire, merseyside and essex were fought locally, as local issues, with national support. that fight was in the hands of those affected, eg, if members within authority 'x' chose not to fight the issue, it was impossible for those in authority 'y' to take industrial action. so the answer really lies at local level!
brigades 'running' with four as standard, have you read the fbu irmp document and the arguments against that - check out the CAST planning scenarios. ask which firefighter tasks dont need to be completed at an incident. perhaps even a word with some of our friends in't'north west might assist, they seem to have stood firm on that issue, by presenting a sensible argument in discussion. yes there are some that do ride four, but again if those in brigade 'x' arent prepared to action then how can those in brigade 'y' take action in support?
we went out of the doors for a realistic pay claim, is it over ambitious to ask for what i believe a firefighter is actually worth? where were the dissenters? not at any meetings or conferences i attended!
a media point of view is just that, a media point of view. no dispute is won or lost in the media, its won or lost in the actions taken or not taken. if the media is really ALL that matters im sure the senior citizens of the uk and the national health service would be better funded after all the campaigning they (the media) do to attract readers in the name of campaigning and supporting causes! of course the media have an influence, but they dont determine outcomes.
being careful - yes i agree - nothing wrong with being cautious, but it isnt just the fire service that will suffer, it truly is the communities we serve. just look at the way they have run down the ambulance service, it used to be held in high regard, but now its only the staff that people support, not the service itself - i could go on but im sure you get my 'drift', even if you might not agree with my views
as for the ec saying nothing during the election, they did, but who was listening? there is a now a group of mp's who form an fbu support group, one of them recently lost their seat, where were our members, some of the officials were active but what about the members who live in or close to the constituency? the fbu support group is part of the strategy to influence those who make decisions, those who are the levers for change
i dont recall reading anything in the june agreement or october joint statement that says 'emergency fire controls will be regionalised'. so how could i have signed up for it. you appear to have made a quantam leap in associating the settlement with our employers and with government intent, so the purse you refer to i believe is not linked. to suggest it is would allow for some interesting debate on what constitutes modernisation and where those concepts come from.
integrity, hmnnnnnn, now that is an interesting one, i recall being labelled a traitor (along with some other unprintable names) by politicians, those we elect to lead us and our countries. the linking of integrity with the agenda of the few is a strange one. i remember the audit commission being delayed, the reason given by the audit commission, in writing, was due to the death of firefighters. the firefighters died AFTER the report was due to be published, integrity, BEHAVE! i dont for one moment believe my integrity is diminished in any way shape or form by challenging and taking actions against the job losses of my fellow workers and trade union comrades, and yes i know some of those in our emergency fire control rooms are not members of my union, well here's the news for them, yes i am going to fight for their jobs aswell!
and for anyone else reading, theyre our emergency fire control rooms and youre not having them!
repurcussions. i think youre now moving towards the truth as i see it. the repurcussion agenda, a repercussion agenda hidden behind the sinister mask of savings, that seems to be amongst us is not as a result of or in exchange for settling a pay claim, it is a direct attempt to settle 'old scores'. no wonder the njc in conjunction with acas have started a training programme to employers, principal managers and the fbu at local level to try to reduce the conflict that exists, so that the real agenda, ie one of employers and employees working together so that the best service for the community can be delivered.
modernisation, i hope so!
dave bev
