The Fire Brigades Union has elected a new general secretary.
8,648 FBU members voted in the election, a turnout of 29%. Steve Wright received 5,188 votes (59%), with the incumbent Matt Wrack receiving 3,436 (41%).
Voting ran from 10 December to 14 January.
Steve Wright has served as Vice President of the FBU since 2023, and as the Executive Council member for the Southern region.
Wright has been an FBU member for more than 20 years and first became a branch rep during the 2002-3 pay campaign. He joined Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2001 at the age of 18 and transferred to Oxfordshire fire and rescue in 2006.
His term of office begins immediately.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
“I am deeply honoured to have been elected as general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, and I want to thank all FBU members who participated in this election.
“However you voted, I will work with the Executive Council and all FBU officials every day to deliver for you – together we will fight for your pay, pensions, and terms and conditions.
“I stand by the commitments made to members in my election statement. The FBU remains committed to implementing our policies set by members at our annual conference. Together, we will campaign for a fit-for-purpose fire and rescue service that protects the public and its employees, with genuine investment and national standards.
“Our union has a proud history of standing together, and recent campaigns have shown what can be achieved through unity and determination. We will continue to build on these to win improvements in pay, terms and conditions, safety and lead the fight for equality in the fire and rescue service.
“The strength of our union lies in its members, and I look forward to working with all of our members to deliver on the priorities that we set together.”
Outgoing general secretary Matt Wrack said:
“I am proud to have led the Fire Brigades Union for two decades, a period which has seen eight Prime Ministers. We have fought back against attacks on the fire service and we have laid the ground for real progress.
“Much of the FBU’s work in that time is only now coming to fruition. For the first time in more than twenty years, we should soon see national standards in the fire service, and the FBU is able to play its role in advising ministers directly on fire service policy.
“Because of our campaigning, and that of other unions, we are also likely to see the biggest workers’ rights package in recent years, including the repeal of anti-union laws that sought to ban effective strike action in our sector.
“By mobilising and winning an overwhelming mandate for industrial action, the FBU has won a 16% pay rise over the past three years, with no strings attached. We have also had significant progress on maternity pay and the retaining fee for RDS firefighters.
“I am proud to have led the longest period of strike action in our union’s history, over pensions, in 2013-15. Our legal fight on pensions has won many millions for firefighters and £19bn for workers across the public sector.
“Our DECON campaign has changed the conversation in our sector about fire contaminants.
“The FBU has played a leading role in the fight for equality, in the face of some appalling behaviours and a systemic failure by fire service leadership. This work has meant having difficult conversations inside our union and must be continued.
“I leave the FBU with my head held high. Since the age of 16 I have been an active anti -racist, anti-fascist. I became a socialist as a teenager and I have been a trade unionist all my working life. My views and values have not changed and I will continue that fight.”
