Fire fighters keep up pressure

The Fire Brigades Union is pressing ahead with its campaign for higher pay and a new pay formula. Last month saw 12,000 fire fighters and control staff marching through London, and mass meetings have been taking place around the country.

The employers' side has undertaken to bring forward proposals on pay and a new system of pay indexation on 9 July. General secretary Andy Gilchrist warned that the union remained "totally committed" to securing a salary of £30,000 for professional fire fighters and emergency fire control staff, and full pay parity for part-time fire fighters.