Dear Brother/Sister
Early Day Motion 597 – Funding for fire and rescue services
Work on branches should now be well underway to organise attendance and meetings with MPs for the FBU rally and lobby of parliament in Westminster 6 December.
To further support the union’s political campaigning on pay and funding, a motion has been submitted in the House of Commons calling for funding to the fire and rescue service and fair pay for firefighters
Early Day Motion 597: Funding for fire and rescue services, has been submitted by Mary Kelly Foy MP. The Fire Brigades Union is calling for members and supporters to begin lobbying their MPs to sign and support the motion.
The motion reads:
That this House recognises and celebrates the significant role firefighters play in society, particularly in the face of increasing extreme weather events and the part they played during the pandemic that included delivering medicines to the vulnerable, supporting the ambulance service and moving the bodies of the deceased; further recognises that the fire and rescue service has suffered central funding cuts of around 30 per cent since 2010, resulting in the loss of more than 11,500 frontline firefighters; is concerned that lives could be put at risk from further cuts; acknowledges that firefighters have lost approximately £4,000 in real terms over the past decade; notes with dismay that some firefighters are resorting to food banks; further notes when inflation is taken into account, the 5 per cent offer from the employers that was rejected by the Fire Brigades Union still represents a further cut in real wages; calls for urgent central Government funding for fire and rescue services; and urges employers and the Government to give firefighters a fair pay rise.
The motion can be viewed here: https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/60309
Early day motions (EDMs) are an important part of the union’s political campaigning. EDMs are motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons for which no day has been fixed. Not all are debated. However, many attract a great deal of public interest and media coverage.
By attracting the signatures of MPs, EDMs can be used to demonstrate the level of parliamentary support for a particular cause or campaign.
I urge all members to contact their MP and ask them to add their signature to EDM 597. Members can do so via the tool on the FBU website here: https://www.fbu.org.uk/email-your-mp.
If it is your intention to attend the FBU rally & lobby 6 December in Westminster, please take the opportunity to add to the letter that you would like to meet your MP to discuss the motion.
Yours in unity.
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
