Firefighters hint at strike delay as talks go on

Firefighters gave a strong hint last night that the first eight-day fire strike would be delayed, claiming their weapon of industrial action was "back in the holster but still loaded".

The Fire Brigades Union will meet council employers for private talks today to try to find common ground on pay and modernised conditions.

Amid speculation that a bigger pay award than the 11.3 per cent offered over two years was pending, the FBU said it had held "very constructive" discussions with John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. Although Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, said he did not want above-inflation pay rises, Downing Street and Mr Prescott's office made clear there was room for manoeuvre on wages linked to modernisation.

Formal talks are expected to resume tomorrow, when union officials will table their ideas for modernising the service. They are expected to propose reforming management; introducing family-friendly practices, including creches, to increase the number of women in the service; and issuing firefighters with tailor-made uniforms to lessen the risk of burns.

Employers are understood to be looking at the possibility of offering extra funding on top of the 11.3 per cent suggested by Sir George Bain. A long-term pay formula could be brought forward to the second year of a deal, adding new sums that could help the FBU claim it had won more money.

Tony Blair refused to be drawn on whether firefighters should be offered a 16 per cent rise yesterday, a figure mooted by some employers. "One thing has got to be very, very clear ­ we cannot pay more money out unless it is tied to changes within the fire service," he told ITV1's Blair on the Spot: A Tonight Special.

"Yes, it is possible to pay an above-inflation pay increase but only if it's tied to changes in working practices and the modernisation that is required.''

Mr Brown attacked the FBU's 40 per cent pay claim, telling MPs it was "the wrong time, exactly the wrong claim, pursuing the wrong methods to demand wage rises so much higher than inflation".

Troops continued preparations for providing emergency cover during the strike, due to begin on Friday, which will see 18 red engines from the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire back up Green Goddesses.

Meanwhile, the leader of British business urged the Government not to give in to the union's demands. Digby Jones, director general of the CBI, said: "It is a real defining moment for the Blair administration to see how it deals with a public-service union in a sensitive area at a very difficult time. It is going to set how they are seen by the public, business and overseas investors. The interests of 59 million people are best served by low inflation and low employment.''

Mr Jones said business leaders had to set an example. He would not comment directly on the GlaxoSmithKline chief executive, Jean Pierre Garnier, who earned £7m last year and is seeking a pay rise despite the collapse in the drug company's share price. Mr Jones said: "Businesses would do well to be aware that if you are trying to ensure people trust and respect business, then part of it is what they are seen to be paid."

* A fireman was lucky to survive when he was injured tackling a suspected arson attack at a disused factory in Wolverhampton on Sunday, the fire service said. He suffered two neck fractures when he was crushed by a steel joist.