Fire union digs in over plan to cut crew levels at night

Talks aimed at ending the firefighters' dispute began yesterday amid signs of a huge gulf between the two sides over management plans to reduce staff at night.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) vowed to fight the policy as the union began its submissions on modernisation of the service at the conciliation service Acas. Night-time crewing levels emerged as the most serious sticking point.

Employers will put forward their arguments in a separate session today at Acas. It is hoped that face-to-face talks will begin soon over the union's 40 per cent pay claim.

In the Commons, the Prime Minister insisted the Government was not trying to humiliate firefighters by insisting on radical modernisation in return for a pay rise above the 4 per cent already offered.

He said: "We do not want to be in a situation where people feel humiliated, and the firefighters do a fine job ... but any settlement has to be fair right across the public services."

Before the union submission yesterday, Andy Gilchrist, general secretary of the union, pointed out that official figures showed that most fire victims died during the night shift period. Cutting staff levels at night was worse than all the other management ideas in their entirety, he said.

Government figures for 2000 showed that 92 more people died in fires during the night than during the day, the FBU said. More than 7,000 people were injured in fires, – nearly 5,000 more than during the day – and the number of children who died was 22, twice as many as during the day, said the FBU leader.

Fire authorities are particularly keen to reduce staffing in city centres at night at a time when offices are empty and there is considered to be less danger to life.