Firefighters announce eight day strike in row over pensions #TheElitePartyInJuly #IRepEntertain9jarBlog #FreeTwitterTrendMachine via @myentertain9jar

FIREFIGHTERS will stage a national walkout for EIGHT DAYS this month in a row over pensions.

 

An earlier strike in May this year at Euston[PA]

The Fire Brigades Union has decided to escalate industrial action, saying that the current proposals on pensions and later retirement age were "unacceptable, unworkable and unrealistic".

Strikes will take place in England and Wales between 6am-8am and 5pm-7pm on every weekday from Monday July 14 to Monday July 21.

The weekend will see strikes taking place from 11am-1pm and 11pm-1am, with an extra 5pm-7pm strike on Sunday.

The Fire Brigades Union has been in negotiations with the Government for three years in an attempt to avoid the implementation of proposals that they say would see firefighters paying more, working longer and receiving less.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "The Government must realise that firefighters cannot accept proposals that would have such devastating consequences for their futures, their families' futures - and the future of the fire and rescue service itself.

"We have tried every route available to us to make the Government see sense over their attacks.

"Three years of negotiations have come to nothing because the Government is simply unwilling to compromise or even listen to reason despite a huge amount of evidence showing their planned scheme is unworkable.

"Shorter strike periods have illustrated the strength of feeling amongst firefighters whilst limiting disruption to the fire service, the public and our members' working lives.

"But the Government is merely ploughing ahead, forcing firefighters to react."