Firefighters suspend conference

Submitted by Anon on 22 May, 2004 - 10:07

By Nick Holden

The conference of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) was suspended on its first day (11 May), following the collapse of talks between the FBU leadership and the employers over the implementation of the latest stage in the deal which brought the firefighters' strike to an end a year ago.
Shortly before the conference the employers announced that they wouldn't be paying the second stage of the agreed pay increase, unless the FBU agreed to end "stand down time" - the practice of allowing crews on night shift to go off active duty in the early hours of the morning.

The union leadership presented the conference with an emergency resolution which condemned the employers, and called for non-cooperation with the entire agreement until employers agree to full implementation of the deal, as agreed.

This sudden display of backbone, while welcome, is at odds with the Executive's previous record on the negotiations with Fire Service employers. Some FBU activists were wondering whether the decision to suspend conference was entirely necessary, or further evidence of the FBU leadership's desire to avoid a public confrontation with the Labour Government this side of the European elections.

Why does the Executive feel it necessary to send delegates back "to consult the membership"? Surely the issue is crystal clear. Having extracted all they asked for, and more, during the initial negotiations, management are now coming back for more. The union could reasonably have moved straight to a ballot without the need to suspend the conference for a month.

The Executive's last consultative ballot, at the time of the initial deal, angered many members. It presented the issue as a choice between "all out strike or agreeing the deal". Critics reasonably argued this scared the membership into agreeing the deal. There's therefore much concern that a similar ploy will be unveiled this time, allowing the leadership to give away further conditions of service, while blaming members who "show no enthusiasm for a fight".

Also on the conference agenda, and now not to be discussed until conference re-convenes in four weeks' time, were calls for the union to disaffiliate from the Labour Party, and an Executive position advocating continued affiliation to the Labour Party but with a more aggressive use of the political fund, and the possibility of the union funding anti-Labour candidates in the future.

The other aspect to the conference which is now up in the air is the witch-hunt against supporters of the Grassroots FBU initiative. Grassroots FBU, an open rank-and-file body, is circulating material critical of the Executive's handling of the dispute, and a number of Executive members are facing challenges in upcoming elections. The fall-out from the collapse of the dispute continues. The leadership responded by announcing an investigation, which may result in key activists being suspended over the coming months - thus silencing the opposition before union's conference re-convenes next month.

FBU activists need to organise to resist the latest stage of the employers' offensive. They can't afford to put any trust in the national leadership. Activists should also be calling for an immediate end to the witch-hunt.

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