21.11.2002

No sellout

The militancy and solidarity of the firefighters have forced the local authority employers to weaken. But in exchange for a bigger wage increase - though nowhere near the 38%-plus claimed by the Fire Brigades Union - the workers are being asked to give up a whole range of their hard won gains in terms of hours, shifts and working patterns, bending to what the employers dub 'flexibility' and 'modernisation'. It would be a fatal mistake for firefighters to sell their working conditions in this way. Unlike wages, they are inflation-proof. As the FBU membership has come to realise over the last year or two, yesterday's pay advance can become today's handicap. In particular the watch system, with its ethos of comradeship and element of control from below, is an asset that must be defended. Sir George Bain, in his report brought forward by the government in an attempt to head off the strike, described the four-on, four-off rota and ensuing camaraderie as a "macho culture" that caused "disruption to family life" and was "unnecessarily inflexible as well as discouraging diversity and equal opportunities". What really lies behind this is not the claimed concern for women or ethnic minorities - employers up and down the country have become adapt at hiding behind politically correct 'equal ops' in order to eat into working class gains - but a desire to re-impose their authority over every aspect of work. Firefighters should insist on the kind of 'flexibility' that suits them - allowing them more choice over their exact shift patterns, days off and hours worked. Such collectively determined control is in the interests of every worker - black or white, female or male. The longer the dispute has simmered, the less it has centred on wages, the more on working conditions. The most bellicose sections of the ruling class have not only urged Blair to resist the "outrageous" claim for £30,000 - the establishment is unanimous over that - but to take on the firefighters and crush them. The Daily Telegraph - after reporting approvingly that Blair had "effectively staked his authority on defeating the strike" - urged him to think beyond fending off FBU claims and going onto the offensive: break union power through local pay deals, for example (November 14). The reason why Blair and Gordon Brown need to ensure that any pay rise over and above inflation is conceded at the firefighters' own expense is because a 'without strings' settlement of any value would blow a hole through their neoliberal fiscal 'prudence'. As Sir Eddie George, governor of the Bank of England, warned, such a deal would "open the floodgates". Correctly the guardians of capital fear that other sections would take courage from the firefighters' success and press their own claims in a much more militant manner. More importantly we would perhaps start to see a rise in the confidence and combativity of the working class as a whole. No wonder Blair talks tough. Not only did he threaten to use the army to break through firefighters' picket lines, but he openly hinted that he would use every legal power at his disposal to crush the strike. Under the anti-union legislation introduced by the Tories it is an offence to "wilfully and maliciously break a contract of service" when the consequences would "endanger human life". That gives him enough rope to threaten the FBU with crippling fines or even sequestration. But Blair has not had things all his own way. Open disagreements have been voiced at the very highest level of the military. At a time when George W Bush has called on British armed forces to step up preparations for a US-UK war against Iraq, the last thing military chiefs want is to be bogged down trying to put out fires at home. It is this that lies behind the unwillingness to be used as a "political weapon" - if that were true, it would be a most unusual reticence on the part of the military. Admiral Sir Michael Boyes embarrassed defence secretary Geoff Hoon earlier this week at what was supposed to be a joint press briefing to show a united front in the 'war against terror'. Boyes warned that troops could become "overstretched". Morale would be adversely affected by having to perform a function for which they were inadequately trained and equipped. Soldiers would be unavailable for training prior to an assault on Saddam Hussein. There is no need for the FBU to seize upon the first concession they are offered, as the government, media and employers continue to heap abuse on them for daring to demand a better deal. Why should firefighters, especially those in London and the south-east, have to take on a second job just to be able to pay for a roof over their heads? Neither should they be cowed by accusations of lack of patriotism, as 'the nation' prepares for war. Their war is not our war. Our interests lie with the world's working class, including the working class of Iraq. Neither do we have any concern that all Brown's best laid plans will come to nought if unions actually start to fight for what their members need. Tube workers have shown that the firefighters are not alone. During last week's initial two-day strike 150 drivers refused to work on London Underground, despite threats of discipline, without fire cover. They have shown that, if the will is there, there is always a way round bourgeois 'industrial relations' legislation. Firefighters must build on this support from a key sections of the working class. There must be no sellout. If they stand firm, they can not only force Tony Blair into a humiliating retreat, but deliver a blow to his whole anti-working class agenda. Peter Manson Invitation to all trade unionists The London region of the Fire Brigades Union would like to invite all trade unionists who work and live in the London area to visit the picket line at their nearest London fire station this coming Saturday (November 23). The invitation runs from 10am on that morning and our members would be greatly buoyed by the support that this gesture would generate. You are, of course, welcome to come and visit us at any time that is convenient to yourselves. However, we are calling for this show of support on Saturday as an important morale-boosting exercise at this particular time. Please pass this on to fellow union members in whichever way you wish to. Yours in solidarity London regional committee Fire Brigades Union