REGIONAL: Merseyside Firefighters start 24-hour strike this morning, warnings about Christmas Lights

Merseyside Firefighters have just started their 24hr strike at 9am this morning.....Fire bosses say make sure your decorations are as safe as they can be. Merseyside residents were warned to take care with Christmas lights and candles as firefighters staged a fresh 24-hour strike in their long-running row with the Government over pensions. Members of the Fire Brigades Union walked out at 9am for their 48th period of industrial action since the dispute flared. The union said that after three years of discussions, firefighters still faced a “stark” choice of being sacked or having their pension severely reduced. Today a Merseyside fire service spokesman said: “The public should be reassured that firefighters who are not members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) will maintain an emergency response capability and there will be fire appliances available continuously during industrial action. “We will also continue our community fire prevention activities during this period – recognising the importance of providing fire safety information at such a time. “During any industrial action we always ask the public to take extra care and be vigilant, have working smoke alarms on each level of their home and we also urge people to take care with candles, Christmas lights and any Christmas decorations. We also urge people to take care when heating their home during the cold weather.” FBU members in Scotland and Wales will take other forms of industrial action but will not be on strike because of “genuine” negotiations, while those in Northern Ireland have lifted their dispute because of an improved offer. The union attacked the Westminster Government, saying it had presented evidence which had created “considerable” political opposition to controversial changes to pensions. The coalition was accused of pressing ahead with a scheme which was “unfair and unworkable”. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Firefighters in England are reluctantly calling further strike action as a direct result of the Westminster government’s failure to listen and negotiate over pensions. “Firefighters are asking the Westminster government to immediately open genuine negotiations to resolve this dispute. They should also hold a House of Commons debate to fully scrutinise the legislation and there should be a parliamentary vote on the regulations. “We are not going to give up or go away. Firefighters will fight for however long it takes to secure a fair pensions deal. This dispute will not end as long as the regulations remain unchanged “It is sickening that the only part of the UK where the fire minister refuses to engage in genuine negotiations is England. We cannot accept that firefighters in England will be penalised simply because the Westminster government refuses to consider the evidence or even read its own reports on the risks to firefighter fitness related to ageing. “We have won the argument on this issue for the past three years. We face a government which refuses to negotiate or even to listen to reason. Therefore this fight will carry on.” Last week Cllr Dave Hanratty, chair of Merseyside Fire Authority, told the ECHO: “So far there have been no major incidents while they have been on strike, but that’s luck more than anything. “If there was a major incident, the deal we have with them is that they would come back in. “It’s really down to the government to ensure an appropriate offer is made to the firefighters. It’s ridiculous it has gone on so long.” Story and photo source: Liverpool Echo