Fire strike called off over union’s safety concerns

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called off its London-wide strike planned for bonfire night because of concern about the competence of contract staff hired to cover for striking fire fighters.

The union complained to the Health and Safety Executive that staff at AssetCo had not been trained to do the work they had been asked to do and were putting at risk both their own health and that of members of the public.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “We have listened to the concerns about public safety and we have watched the work of private contractors who are supposed to protect Londoners with mounting concern”.

Under the employer’s contingency plan around 27 fire engines would have been used, based at nine sites across London, instead of the usual 150 vehicles that are available. The stand-in crew from AssetCo had reportedly undergone only two weeks of training before being called upon to replace striking fire fighters.