28.11.2002

Not an exception

We've been 100% solid and there have been no defections. It's been a magnificent strike action. We should be proud of our union members. If the government insist on attacking the fire service, then we are prepared to fight it out to the end. The government's attitude has definitely hardened the resolve of our members to see it through. After all, this is not just a fight for fair pay, but to save the fire service itself. The whole of the trade union movement needs to stand shoulder to shoulder with the firefighters. It must be clear to trade unionists now that our fight is not just about a dispute in our industry, but the basic right to fair pay in any sector. The government is saying, 'What do we tell the nurses if we make an exception of the firefighters?' Well, we don't want to be an exceptional case. We just want fair pay. And we'll fight for that same right for any group of workers. It's disgraceful that the government tries to blackmail firefighters with the low pay of other sections of workers. There's talk of Blair regarding this as his version of Thatcher's battle against the miners in 1984-85. There is a big lesson here for our movement. Millions of workers have been suffering ever since for the movement's failure to stand alongside the miners. Every fire station we go to, they're asking for the form to opt out of the political fund to the Labour Party. It is a mass sentiment among firefighters now. I'm sure that at next year's conference, some move will be made either for disaffiliation - which is my preference - or the democratisation of the fund, which will give us the ability to fund other candidates who support the policies of the union. After the attack on us that the government is presiding over, I'm sure it will be an easy victory. The unions must rethink their links with Labour. Blair is clearly more interested in talking to the CBI than with us. We should start to use our political funds to back a proper, trade union-orientated Labour Party. We need a party that truly represents the workers - this one clearly does not. Jane Clarke, region 10 treasurer Free the funds The deputy prime minister has admitted that 'modernisation' means job cuts - the Labour Party leadership have shown their true colours. Most firefighters are now prepared for a long haul - it doesn't look very hopeful as far as a compromise is concerned. I can't imagine that the FBU is going to accept job losses - we already have a conference policy that says we won't accept redundancies. And what Labour is talking about is decimating the fire service. The service could not be sustained at the current level if you leave our conditions as they are now. But of course, they want to introduce overtime, they want to introduce whole-time retained duty, which is how they would aim to make up the deficiencies in staff numbers. In practical terms, it would mean a big increase in our hours to make up those deficiencies. At the moment, we have a three-shift pattern. The management is saying that these are not particularly family-friendly. Of course, we do work long hours, we do work nights and that is a problem for people. But if they introduced job-share, for example, that would be family-friendly. We could do that with the same shift pattern. But they are actually being hypocrites, pretending to be for women and against a 'macho' culture. If people have to do lots of overtime, or whole-time retained duties, then that is going to impact on family life very dramatically. At least with the shift system, you know when you are working, so you can plan childcare and your life around work. If you are doing overtime and you are being called in as and when, you can't plan anything at all. People across the board have had enough. Over and over again, I'm hearing people on the picket lines say that there is no way they can vote Labour again. So then, the question is, what are the other options? As a member of the Socialist Alliance, I obviously push that option. Unfortunately, apart from what I and a few individual members have done, I haven't seen any SA work around the fire strike at all. SA members are all turning up with a different hat on. We have had to issue en masse forms for individual members to opt out of the political levy to Labour - something I was not very happy with. At conference next year, the disaffiliation argument will definitely come up again. The EC seems to have a very tight grip on the dispute and, unless some clear arguments are put forward on the picket lines, the gut reaction of most people will be to disaffiliate. I still think the correct position is for democratisation of the funds - that is also more winnable than disaffiliation. The argument we are going to get from our executive is, 'Look, we've been in Prescott's office. Let's not turn our back on that sort of influence', etc. We need to up the stakes through fighting links with other public sector workers. The day of action in France shows us the way - we need the same here. As a minimum we need a national demonstration in defence of public services and in support of the firefighters, but better would be a day of action.