Dear Brother/Sister
Pay 2022 – EC Recommends rejection of revised 5% pay offer
On 4 October 2022 fire service employers at the National Joint Council (NJC) made a revised pay offer of a 5% increase on all Grey Book rates of pay, including CPD, from 1 July 2022.
The Executive Council considered the revised offer in detail and by unanimous decision, agreed the following:
- The Executive Council recommends that the revised pay offer is rejected but this is a decision for our members to make.
- The Executive Council has agreed to commence a membership consultation on the revised proposals. This will consist of a period of consultation, briefings and meetings followed by a consultative ballot.
We want all FBU members to fully understand and discuss the reasons why the Executive Council is recommending that the revised offer is rejected. That is why we have asked all FBU Officials to immediately begin the process of arranging and undertaking meetings of members at a local and brigade level. Please make sure you attend your local meeting and engage in the discussion. EC members will ensure that local officials are briefed on the reasons behind the recommendation to reject, but it is vital that we hear the views of members in this process, so please get involved and have your say.
Following this short period of consultation, we will arrange for a consultative ballot of all members to take place. In this ballot, we will ask you whether you support the EC recommendation and reject the revised offer. However, although the EC recommend reject, we are a democratic, member led union and it is up to members to make the ultimate decision on the revised offer.
To assist in this process, I wanted to set out in writing the reasons why the EC has recommended rejection of the offer.
- At a time of such high inflation, the Executive Council does not believe that the revised offer represents fair pay for the fire service. When inflation is taken into account, the 5% offer still represents a further significant cut in real wages and follows years of austerity, pay stagnation and a decline in real wages.
- Firefighters and firefighters control have already lost pay worth 12% (£4,000) in real terms over the last decade and, having worked on the frontline throughout the Covid crisis, the Executive Council firmly believe that now is the time for our employers to deliver fair pay.
- When we were initially presented with the 2% insult, we were told it was a final offer and the employers had no more to offer. We are now told that 5% is a final offer and the employers have no more to offer.
- Government and employers have been telling us for over a decade that we either have to accept low pay or cuts – but then they try to force through both. Enough is enough. Our aim is to achieve fair pay for FBU members. The current situation cannot continue and only through standing and fighting together can we possibly hope to achieve a desperately needed pay rise.
We also want to address the question of what is an acceptable offer? The Executive Council is clear on this point: FBU members will decide what is – or is not - an acceptable offer. It is not for the EC or any individual official to decide that for them. One of the many strengths of the FBU is that we are a democratic union. That is why we will be launching a consultative ballot for members to have their say.
To be clear: the obligation to make an acceptable and reasonable offer lies with the fire service employers.
FBU members will decide what is and what is not acceptable. In this process, the only figure which matters is the figure made as an offer by the employers – which our members find acceptable. That is for FBU members, and only FBU members, to decide.
Clearly, the only reason the employers came forward with a revised proposal was because of the campaigning work of FBU members and officials. This campaign, under the title ‘Fair Pay or Fire Strike’ publicly highlighted the anger of our members and your obvious determination to fight for better pay. This is a campaign which will continue until FBU members decide that a pay offer is acceptable. To that end, we are ensuring that work continues to achieve a legally compliant strike ballot if necessary.
Once the consultative ballot is ready to be launched, we will use all the information channels at our disposal to let members know when the ballot is out, what form it will take and how long it will run for. We will also send out information to tell members and officials what to do if they do not receive a vote in a consultative ballot.
Because this is a consultative ballot, the anti-trade union laws do not apply. This means we can use a mix of online and postal balloting. We know that using an online ballot means a higher return, so please, if you haven’t already done so, register your email address with the union as soon as possible and we can send you a ballot paper electronically.
You can do this by emailing [email protected].
Please note that we can only accept personal email addresses, not fire service email addresses, and it would also be very helpful if members could include their date of birth, brigade and membership number (if they know it) in the email.
Our current aims must be to ensure that all members understand why the Executive Council is recommending rejection, maximise the turnout in the consultative ballot and make sure that members have their say on this revised proposal.
We must achieve fair pay for FBU members. The current situation cannot continue and only through standing and fighting together can we achieve a desperately needed pay rise.
It is not too late for the government to provide additional funding for a pay rise and for employers to make a substantially better pay offer for consideration by our members.
We will keep you informed of all developments.
Stand together for fair pay.
Yours in unity.
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
