Firefighters dispute ended after 'intensive' talks

The changes will come in to force from January

An agreement has been reached over changes to working hours for firefighters, following an 18-month dispute between bosses and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

From January full-time firefighters in Gloucestershire will work 10-hour day shifts and 14 hour stretches overnight.

Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), which is responsible for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS), said the agreement shows the "renewed spirit of collaboration between the two organisations".

The FBU has been approached for a comment.

In 2023, GFRS leaders set out an ambition to change shift patterns which would have seen day shifts increase from the current nine hours to an 11 hour pattern.

The FBU objected to the move and claimed it would have forced staff with caring responsibilities out of the service and disproportionally affect women.

At the time, the union said its members would not rule out strike action.

Resolution

Formal mediation took place over the summer and, after what a GCC report describes as two days of "intensive" talks, a resolution has now been reached.

Day shifts will take place between 08:30 and 18:30 from January and night shifts will run from 18:30 to 08:30.

It comes after the service was taken out of three years of special measures in August due to improvements in diversity, staff discipline and grievance processes.

Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, GCC cabinet member for the Fire and Rescue Service, said the changes are part of a "wider reset and refocus" for the organisation.

"Staff will be supported through this change and it will be reviewed at six and 12 months in full consultation with the FBU," he added.

"This is a significant step forward in our journey of improvement and follows the good news from a recent His Majesty's Inspectorate inspection in which the Service made great progress."