Merseyside firefighters vote to take industrial action over staffing

The FBU said the ballot came after a "serious breakdown in industrial relations"

Firefighters across Merseyside have voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of industrial action in a dispute over night-time staffing, a union has said.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said 88% of members, including control room and non-uniformed staff, backed action short of a strike.

It said a ban on pre-arranged overtime will begin in December and could last for six months.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said it was "disappointed".

The FBU said the ballot came after a "serious breakdown in industrial relations".

A representative said it had failed to reach agreement with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority over a number of issues, which included:

• A reduction in night-time staffing numbers in the control room

• The introduction of new shift systems

• Apprentices being required to attend outside of core hours to undertake training sessions, assessments, charity days and exams

The FBU's Merseyside secretary Ian Hibbert said the "overwhelming result" of the ballot should not come as a surprise to the authority.

"FBU members do not take industrial action lightly, but we can no longer stand by as our terms and conditions of service are attacked and eroded," he said.

"Our members within the control room have said that this reduction in staffing makes their working life far more onerous [and] it also raises potential concerns with us around the safety of the public [and] firefighters in the time it takes for them to respond to calls coming in."

MFRS said it remained "committed to constructive dialogue" with the union

An MFRS representative said it was "disappointed" at the outcome of the ballot, "but we will not meet any demands which could result in less fire engines, less fire stations, slower response times or fewer staff in our control rooms overall".

"The changes, introduced following extensive consultation with staff and the public, are based on the demands placed on the service," they said.

"MFRS is twice as busy during the day than it is at night, so the changes have actually resulted in an increase in staff available during the day and a decrease at night when there are less calls.

"We remain committed to constructive dialogue with all our representative bodies, which puts our communities first."

The dispute is separate to a national ballot of firefighters over pay.