Firefighters in Scotland reject pay deal for second time

Firefighters at the national training centre in Cambuslang

Firefighters in Scotland have rejected a pay offer which they said would have meant taking on significant new work.

It is the second time union members have rejected the deal.

They had been offered a pay rise in return for taking on new responsibilities, including responding to "slips, trips and falls".

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it respected the result but firefighters pay would now have to be negotiated at UK level.

Last year the SFRS said firefighters must take on a broadened role in supporting vulnerable people

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) described such roles as health and social care work, and said it was determined to continue negotiations.

• Firefighters urged to reject four-year pay deal

In return for taking on the extra duties, firefighters would have seen their basic pay rise in stages from October 2019 to July 2022 by 14.74%, with an overall increase from July 2019 to July 2022 of 17%.

FBU Scotland secretary Denise Christie said that while members "deserve" a pay increase, the offer on the table was "unacceptable".

She said: "We've been consistent throughout negotiations. Real progress has been made since the last offer was rejected in June, but some serious changes are needed to make this acceptable to our members.

"The SFRS need to listen to the concerns of their staff and get back around the negotiating table."

The deal, rejected by a majority of 60% to 40% on an 81% turnout, would also have meant more responsibility for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which could have seen firefighters co-responding to life-threatening injuries.

The FBU argues the new responsibilities could affect firefighters' ability to perform core duties

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said that while firefighters were emergency responders, they were "no substitute for social care staff".

He said: "In negotiations, we were concerned that this offer would not be acceptable to our members in Scotland - and this clear result serves as proof.

"We continue to be entirely open to discussions about securing a fire and rescue service fit for the challenges of the future. This is not the time to walk away from negotiations.

"We need to find a deal that is fair for firefighters and control staff to secure a long-overdue pay increase."

The original pay offer from SFRS was rejected by union members in July.

SFRS chief officer Martin Blunden said it was "regrettable" that an agreement had not been reached, but that he respected the ballot result.

He said: "We have been in a unique position in Scotland, having secured funding from our government, to bring forward a 17% pay offer to broaden the role of Scottish firefighters.

"As this offer has been rejected there will be no further Scotland-only pay offer as there is now no additional funding and we will re-join the UK wide National Joint Council negotiations on firefighter pay.

"However, we remain absolutely committed to protecting Scotland's communities from harm and identifying ways to meet new and emerging risks."