The Fire Brigades Union in Scotland played an active part in the annual Scottish Trade Union Congress, which took place last week, pushing forward work on vital fire and rescue issues.
The FBU delegation moved two motions, one on firefighters and public safety and another on firefighter pension justice.
The motion on firefighters and public safety took aim at appliances being off the run due to staff shortages, and appliances being crewed below agreed safe crewing levels. It also noted that “SRFS control rooms have also been regularly working below agreed minimum safe staffing levels” The motion demanded an urgent return to agreed safe crewing levels within Scotland and paved the way for future campaign and lobbying activity and possibly a ballot for action short of strike.
Speaking to the motion, Colin Brown, FBU Scotland executive council member, said “The public are right to expect an acceptable and safe level of fire provision within their communities, workplaces and businesses… These unsafe practices are not acceptable to firefighters working across our service and firefighters believe the public deserve better than this”.
The motion on pension justice aimed to highlight the case of “immediate detriment”, those who are currently receiving pensions lower than they should be as they wait for past injustice to be remediated, as a court has mandated.
It pointed out that “the proposed legislation to remedy the age discrimination [present in the 2015 pension scheme transitional arrangements] will not require FRAs to do this until October 2023” and that “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have to date not adopted the MoU Framework” that could help resolve the situation in the interim.
Simon Leroux, FBU Scotland north area secretary, said that the situation meant that potentially hundreds of firefighters in Scotland were being subjected to “ongoing uncertainty, detriment and financial hardship”.
FBU delegates spoke on a motion on public sector pay and pensions, with FBU Scotland regional treasurer Seona Hart saying “The austerity agenda continues to punish workers and is now putting firefighters and the public they serve at greater risk”
FBU Scotland regional fairness at work official Melanie Gibb continued the FBU’s longstanding support for the people of Palestine and seconded a motion brought by the Dundee Trades Council on sending a delegation to Palestine.
Meanwhile, Colin Brown was returned as a member of the STUC general council, on behalf of the union, and spoke at a Trade Union Coordinating Group fringe event, on pay, pensions and the cost of living.
With all of the FBU motions receiving resounding support they now become STUC policy. There are now half a million Scottish trade unionists in the FBU’s corner fighting for safe crewing, pension justice and action on the cost of living crisis.
The FBU delegation sends solidarity to the STUC and thanks them for a fantastic congress.
