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Announcement of Strike Action by FBU

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The FBU has confirmed that its members will be taking strike action on:

Saturday 19 October between 6.30pm and 11.30pm

This trade dispute between the Fire Brigades Union and National Government relates to proposed changes to Firefighters pensions.

This is obviously a serious situation both for the Service and for all individuals concerned and the Service hopes that there will be continued dialogue between the Union and Government over the coming days to prevent strike action taking place.

The recent ballot result, which provided the FBU with a mandate to take industrial action, affects all operational staff who are members of the FBU and are eligible to join a Firefighters Pension Scheme. It does not affect our control room staff (emergency call handlers) or support staff.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has a statutory duty to plan for industrial action in order to maintain an operational response capability. As such, the Service has in place a robust Business Continuity Plan to deal with periods of industrial action.

If strike action takes place on this date it will result in a significant reduction of the Service’s available resources, although plans are in place to continue to provide appropriate emergency fire cover across our two counties. This reduced fire cover is likely to provide a basic service and will aim to prioritise the most urgent calls ahead of other responses.

Area Commander Jon Pryce, Head of Operations for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “While the industrial action is ongoing we will still be responding to 999 calls, but we will be asking members of the public to take extra steps to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out in their home.

“We would ask people to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes as this can provide them with an early warning if a fire should break out in their home. Above all else please remain vigilant.”