No sooner have teachers laid down their placards of discontent in the U.K. than firefighters are heading to the picket lines to protest a long-running pensions row. The ongoing firefighter strike is the latest example of unrest in Britain over the coalition government's tough austerity measures.
Firefighters across England and Wales walked out last week in a dispute focused on changes to their pensions, and threatened to take further action if the conflict isn't resolved. Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) across England and Wales vacated their fire stations in favor of the picket lines, arguing that firemen and women will have to work on frontline duties until they are 60 years old, pay more into their pensions and receive less money in retirement.
The government disputes the claims, maintaining the pension changes are fair. The coalition government argues that firefighters will still receive one of the best pensions in the U.K. public sector.
“The government has listened to union concerns – firefighters will still get one of the most generous pension schemes in the public sector,” U.K. fire minister Brandon Lewis told The Guardian.
Negotiations have been ongoing between the FBU and government for three years. In a statement on the FBU's website, the union accused the government of “burying its head in the sand.”
In response to the FBU's call for more strike action, the U.K. Department for Communities and Local Government issued a statement referring to the recent walkout as “unnecessary.”
Budget Cuts Force "Inevitable" Changes to service
As fire stations emptied, many brigades around the country were forced to put contingency plans in place. Many of the vacated fire stations, including some in London, were forced to rely on private contractors to cover for the firefighters on strike.
Local fire services across the U.K. have also issued safety advice for people during the union action. For example, the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service published advice on its website urging the public to prevent incidents when emergency cover is reduced during the strike.
But pension reforms aren't the only funding cutbacks lately hitting the fire services in Britain. Earlier this year, poignant photographs of London firefighters in tears were plastered across the international media, reflecting the devastating impact of cuts on fire stations in the British capital.
As part of a £29 million ($49 million) cost-cutting plan enforced by London Mayor Boris Johnson, 10 fire stations across London were closed in January. The fire station cuts meant 550 firefighters lost their jobs and 14 fire engines were made redundant.
Alex Badcock was among those who lost their job. Alex had worked as a firefighter at Clerkenwell Fire Station for 29 years. The Central London station was the oldest fire brigade in the U.K., dating back to the 1870s. Bosses had forbidden the firemen from wearing their uniforms as they left the station to greet emotional supporters on their last day of work.
“This is a sad, sad day. Boris Johnson doesn't know what he's doing,” Badcock told reporters gathered outside the building.
While the closed fire stations have not yet been sold, anti-closure activists believe the disused stations are going to be converted into luxury London flats. The slashing of almost 600 firefighter jobs and the closing 10 stations has been additionally highlighted by campaigners as “compromising public safety.”
“Boris Johnson will have blood on his hands. It will be only a matter of time before someone dies because a fire engine did not get to them in time,” said Paul Embrey, London regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union.
Anger Rife Over "Unfair" Pension Changes
It's not just firefighters who are up in arms over U.K. austerity measures, particularly in regard to pension changes. A huge reform of pensions, including increasing the State Pension age, has been met with hostility across wide sectors of the economy.
According to current plans, the State Pension age will increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028. The current State Pension age is 60 for women and 65 for men. By April of 2020, the State Pension age for women will reach 66, bringing it in line with men.
Women have been dubbed the “biggest losers” in the pension changes; former government adviser Ros Altmann called the steep rise in women's pension age “draconian.”
Before Margaret Thatcher introduced union laws that made worker campaigners fear for their jobs in the 1980s, strikes were an almost inherent part of the British way of life. Now, in the age of austerity, the reluctance to strike is being shaken off as public sector militancy – from firefighters to teachers, nurses, civil servants and beyond – retakes center space.
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