Blair faces an emergency as firefighters go on strike

The Government is digging in for a long and bitter confrontation with Britain's firefighters, who start a series of national stoppages at 6pm and are to announce a second series of strikes for the new year.

Last-chance talks between the employers and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) collapsed after just a few minutes yesterday when the union realised ministers were refusing to improve on a two-year deal, worth a total of 11 per cent, proposed by a report on Monday.

Tony Blair, who is facing the biggest industrial crisis since he became Prime Minister, condemned today's strike as "wrong, unjustified and unneccesary" and warned lives could be put at risk.

The Government made clear it abandoned any hopes of reaching an eleventh-hour deal to avert the first fire strike for 25 years and was only now – arguably too late – concentrating on safety issues.

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, held talks last night with Andy Gilchrist, the FBU leader, on how firefighters would respond to a national emergency. The nation faces an initial campaign of industrial action that begins with a 48-hour stoppage starting tonight and three strikes lasting eight days beginning on 22 November, 4 December and 16 December.

Sources at the FBU made clear that, next week, the union might announce fresh strike dates in support of a 40 per cent pay claim that would put firefighters on £30,000.

A range of transport systems and industrial processes could be shut down as workers, ostensibly concerned with safety precautions, walk out. London Underground is planning to shut 19 stations, but some rail union sources are predicting spontaneous stoppages that will affect services through deep tunnels.

Tony Blair's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's strong belief is that this is both wrong, unjustified, unnecessary. It has the potential to be very damaging, it does put safety at risk, we have to accept that." He said the Government had "bent over backwards to be as reasonable as we possibly can".

The spokesman added the pay offer proposed by Sir George Bain's review of the fire service had been significantly above the rate of inflation. But the FBU had refused to engage with Sir George or to consider the "perfectly sensible, reasonable" reforms he had proposed.

"There is no reason why they should be the only part of public service immune from change." He added that, despite its protestations over pay and conditions, the fire service regularly received 40 applications for every vacancy.

Meanwhile, the shadow Defence Secretary, Bernard Jenkin, came under attack last night for suggesting on television that firefighters were "being paid" by Saddam Hussein.

Mr Jenkin told BBC London the union had no right to try to hold the country to ransom by putting lives at risk, telling the programme: "You almost wonder whether the firefighters' union is being paid by Saddam Hussein. They are making the situation very much worse."

FBU officials said Mr Jenkin's comments were "outrageous and disgusting".

Mr Gilchrist spoke of his anger at management's refusal to budge from proposals tabled in a "position paper" compiled by Sir George Bain that did not improve on an existing 4 per cent offer this year. A proposed 7 per cent rise next year was tied by Sir George to sweeping changes to working practices that the union had already rejected.

Speaking to about 100 firefighters after yesterday's abortive talks in central London, Mr Gilchrist accused the Government of intervening twice to prevent a settlement. News that the industrial action was to go ahead was greeted with cheers, applause, whistles and sounding of horns

Mr Gilchrist said: "The Government has successfully provoked a national firefighters' strike." He said firefighters had acted with incredible patience during the long-running dispute and strikes had been postponed, but they had been met with "contempt".

He said: "I am extremely angry. We have no alternative other than to reject the insulting offer which has been made to some the finest public servants in the world."

Ageing military Green Goddess vehicles were being prepared last night to provide emergency cover but people were urged to be more aware of potential dangers from fire.