Firefighters march for 'fairer pay'

Firefighters from across the UK were gathering in Belfast today to march through the city calling for fairer pay.

The Fire Brigade's Union said the average wage of a fire fighter of £21,000 a year did not reflect the dangers they face every day.

The lunchtime march, expected to draw about 1,000 firefighters from across the nation, is being seen as step towards strike action.

Jim Quinn, the union's regional representative in Northern Ireland, told Radio Five Live this morning: "We've got to convince the Government - our employers - to recognise that there's a need for a change in our pay formula and we have to convince the Government that we are absolutely worth it.

"We hope that we will convince the Government that our pay claim is just and we'll not have to take any industrial action, but at the moment we are prepared to take industrial action if it is necessary. But hopefully we'll not have to do that."

He said the march would not affect cover at fire stations in the UK today.