Fightfighters extinguish pay offer

Firefighters have rejected a pay offer that would have led to them taking on significant areas of health and social care work.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) rejected the offer by a margin of 60 per cent to 40 per cent on an 81 per cent turnout.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) had offered a pay increase in return for firefighters and control staff taking on significant new areas of work, including co-responding to“slips, trips, and falls”and increased responsibility for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which could have seen firefighters co-responding to life-threatening injuries.

Denise Christie, FBU Scotland secretary, said:“Our members have turned out in their masses at meetings across Scotland and to vote in this ballot.

“The consensus is clear; we want and deserve a pay increase, but the offer in its current form is unacceptable.”

The FBU have written to the chief officer and the Scottish Government Minister for community safety to inform them of the ballot result and assure them that the FBU wants to continue negotiations.

Firefighters in Scotland and control staff previously rejected a pay offer last July, forcing the SFRS to return to negotiations.

The initial offer was rejected over concerns including how the proposed changes to a firefighter’s role would impact on core responsibilities and training, the proposed pay increase, and the ability for the Scottish Ambulance Service and health and social care partners to effectively carry out their duties when co-responding.