Yorkshire Strikes

[fireftrm]

Union finished? Give in tot he CFO as there is no point?

Well in that case please explain this press release about the calling off of strike action:

Central to the deal is the fire authority withdrawing the threat to sack firefighters to force through changes. The strings attached have now been dropped.
The fire authority has also agreed to immediately involve ACAS. It had previously agreed to their involvement, but only at a later date.
There has been a cessation of all current industrial action.
Today’s offer from the union included a proposal to move to 10 hour day shifts and 14 hour night shifts, which would have less of an impact on working parents and carers. The fire authority would still, however, be able to put their own shift proposals to outside parties trying to assist.
The union would accept the employer’s offer to declare the use of mass dismissal to force through new contracts ‘null and void’ if unacceptable strings were dropped. The union could immediately call a cessation to all industrial action currently taking place if the fire authority made such a move.
The union dismissed last week’s offer because of the other obstacles the fire service put in the way of agreement.
Ian Murray, FBU regional secretary said: “South Yorkshire fire and rescue service has agreed to the offer we made to them this afternoon. They have now removed the strings attached to the offer they made last week.
“The union pushed very hard to get them to the talks today and that has paid off. There is a cessation of all industrial action, which will be finalised when ACAS terms of reference have been agreed by both sides.
“South Yorkshire firefighters would like to thank the public for their unswerving support and understanding. We also pay tribute to those local MPs and others who were encouraging the steps which have now been taken by the fire authority.”


Presmably that was all due tot he CFO and the Union and strike action played no part? Get real Cleveland

[Clevelandfire 3]

Do you really think the FBU are as powerful as they were prior to the strikes? Do you really believe no strings are attached? Do you believe everything you hear in press releases? Dont you think this is going on in other brigades, but where is the national war cry from the FBU to HMG? Do you think the MPs intervention was politically motivated considering a general election is around the corner?Time to wake up and smell the coffee and get real yourself.The penny will drop sooner or later and I aint gonna argue with ya. You think what you like, but keep an eye on what develops from the situation and ask yourself what Mr Wrack and his cronies really do for the rank and file. They talk a good fight, but dont have the bottle to see it through. And as for Andy Gilchrist, well he said he was going to brong down the government and look what happened to him, not exactly the Arthur Scargill character he hoped to be.

[mr angry]

So Cleveland, should we all throw our cards in?
Are you a member?

[Clevelandfire 3]

Nah, all ill say is that the union may have won the fight in south yorks but its lost the battle overall. Fair play to the lads and lassies in S.Yorks glad they finally got a result, but their victory will be at the cost of something else somewhere down the line.

And I was a member until just after the national strikes.   

[Kaiser]

Im going to make a suggestion. The suggestion is that you accept the CFO and the organisation will do what it wants and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Union? what union? the FBU has no sway whatsoever.Its a toothless tiger. The problem is very simple, we're in a recession, jobs are hard to come by, the CFO knows that so if you want to keep your job shut up and put up, and if you think the fire service is bad try working in other areas of the public sector. I know from experience we dont have it too bad in the brigade.

Comments like this always make me laugh, you say you were a member until just after the national strikes and then you left.  Like you, I was disillusioned with the union leadership during the strike and believe they could have managed things much better, but at the end of the day, I made my own decisions and stuck to them.  The union never forced me to strike, they never forced me to picket, they never forced me to walk out of the station doors to make a point for the TV cameras, I did it all because I believed it was right at the time. I am most certainly not some union flag waver who says that everything is wrong from management but I totally disagree with the argument that just because we didn't have the results we expected in one battle, we give up in every other battle after that.  On this forum, you come across as a real fighter, but your comments lead me to think you are just bitter and twisted and maybe even have another agenda behind your provocation.

[Clevelandfire 3]

Think what you like Kaiser, Im not really bothered one way or the other. I too believed going on strike was the right thing to do , then in the end felt the union let me down, which it did do, there is no denying that, and if you cant see the wood for the trees thats your issue not mine. You dont have to agree with me. Please also dont pretend you didnt feel pressure about whether to go on starike or not. YOu may or may not have wanted to strike, but there was huge resentment to those who didnt want to by the hard liners in every brigade across the country. Resentment in a job like ours isn't healthy especially when the mess is hitting the fan at a working job and youre in BA with a chap who doesn't like you. So Kaiser you have youre right to express your opinion as do I. Im very glad I make you laugh

[Kaiser]

I don't have any need to pretend anything about not feeling pressured and I did do what I felt was right at the time. If I didn't want to go out I wouldn't have and I certainly wouldn't have let anyone bully me about it.  Maybe you were weak at the time and followed every decision like a lost sheep and feel bitter about it all now because you didn't have the guts to stand up for what YOU believed back then, maybe that's why you feel we should all be lectured to about ""The crap union"".  I reckon you were the sheep that followed blindly, shouted loudest to follow the union, then left after slagging them off once you left.  I've met guys like you on station and you're all the same to me.

[Clevelandfire 3]

Like I said Kaiser you have the right to think what you like, Youre wrong, atleast about my motives, but i see im not going to change your mind. Like I said we all follow what we think is right.