Over 200 firefighters and supporters gathered at a rally outside Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service headquarters this morning, calling for the fire authority to scrap plans to change working hours.
The Fire Brigades Union says that senior managers in the service are refusing to listen to the valid concerns of the frontline by enforcing new 12 hour shifts.
Firefighters in Mid and West Wales currently work 9 hour day shifts and 15 hour night shifts. Senior management of the service are planning to change these to 12 hour day shifts and 12 hour night shifts.
The union says that there is no justification for this change to working hours, which will negatively impact firefighters with childcare and other caring responsibilities and take a toll on the mental and physical wellbeing of the workforce.
This policy is being implemented without consultation despite January’s culture review calling for action following findings that senior management failings have created a “boys club” at the top of the service and a culture of fear and mistrust.
Tom Wass, Fire Brigades Union Mid and West Wales brigade organiser said:
Firefighters have travelled from across the region today to rally outside Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service headquarters in opposition to plans to impose twelve hour shifts.
We keep the public safe at all hours of the day and night, and the imposition of punishing shift patterns will do nothing to improve public safety. Pushing firefighters to exhaustion and making work in the service incompatible with childcare will only force firefighters out of the service.
The huge turnout we’ve seen this morning reflects the strength of feeling among firefighters in the region. Senior management of the service must stop attacking our terms and conditions and start listening to the frontline.”
Duncan Stewart-Ball, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for Wales said:
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is in a state of crisis, and firefighters have lost trust in senior leaders. To improve the service for firefighters and the public, senior management must start listening to the concerns of the frontline.
Forcing firefighters to work twelve hour shifts will take a huge and avoidable toll on the physical and mental wellbeing of the workforce.
These shifts will make it harder for women and firefighters with caring responsibilities to work for the service. This is appalling, especially considering that management has failed to take any action since January’s damning report into the “boys club” culture at the top of the service.
The fire authority must start listening to firefighters and holding the service’s chief fire officer and senior management to account. Putting an end to these unworkable, incendiary plans to change firefighters shifts must be the first step in rebuilding trust and morale.”
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
Firefighters in Mid and West Wales are making it loud and clear that they will not accept unnecessary and damaging changes to shifts. The Fire Brigades Union stands with all firefighters facing this attack on their terms and conditions.
Firefighters already go above and beyond to keep the public safe, working without enough resources after over a decade of cuts. Forcing the frontline to work gruelling new shift patterns, punishing those with childcare and caring responsibilities, will only deepen the crises fire and rescue services face.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service must start listening to their workforce by immediately scrapping these damaging proposals to change working hours."
