OVER 2,000 striking firefighters marched through Aylesbury on Tuesday chanting ‘Reinstate Ricky Matthews!’
The national demonstration took place during the Fire Brigades Union’s (FBU) national 24-hour strike in England over the Tory-led coalition’s attack on firefighters’ pensions.
The march through Aylesbury was in response to National Executive Committee member for FBU Southern Region, Ricky Matthews’ sacking during last month’s national FBU pensions strike.
News Line spoke to a number of marchers before they set off from Oakfield Park, past the main Aylesbury fire station.
Avon and Somerset region striker, Weston-Super-Mare FBU branch rep, Neil Punt said: ‘We are here today to demonstrate against the disgraceful sacking of and the bullying and intimidation of all Buckinghamshire FBU members.
‘We are also here demonstrating over our pension theft. And we are not going to go away, we shall stand strong. I think there should be a public sector general strike. I believe that’s the way forward.
‘The aim of this would be to bring the government to the negotiating table and stop trying to squash trade unions who are taking legal action.’
Gordon Fielden, London FBU regional chair, added: ‘It’s a double tragedy that we’re here today.
‘A – we’re on strike because of an instransigent government. Secondly, we’re here for this demonstration because a member of our union from Buckinghamshire has been sacked by a Tory-led fire authority.
‘The Chief Officer’s only agenda is to break the FBU. This won’t occur because the union remains strong up and down the country and will not give in to this Chief Officer or this government.’
Berkshire FBU rep, Steve Collins from Dee Road fire station, Reading, told News Line: ‘We’re here because we’re disgusted with the way our EC member has been treated by the Chief Officer of Buckinghamshire Fire Service.
‘Also, we’re here to show our anger at this government’s refusal to recognise the evidence-based arguments against their changes to the firefighters pension scheme.’
Fellow Reading FBU member Chris Watts said: ‘I’ve been a firefighter for 14 years now. I pay £350 a month into the pension scheme. When I joined I expected to get what I paid into.
‘I’m now expected to pay more in, work longer and get less. That’s what we need to defeat. We don’t like to strike but we have no option.’
FBU member Jas Stevenson from Shropshire, said: ‘The main reason most of us are here is to support Ricky Matthews.
‘This is part of the bigger picture regarding pensions. There’s a sad lack of cimmunication and a sad lack of listening. They’ve opened a dialogue and are working towards a solution in Wales and Scotland but not in England.’
FBU member Alan Jaye from Earlham fire station, Norwich, said: ‘We’re here to protest against the disgraceful sacking of fellow FBU member Ricky Matthews. We’re also here to protest against the pensions cuts. We hope Buckinghamshire fire authority and the government are watching and listening.’
Fellow Earlham fire station FBU member Ian Stolworthy, added: ‘As my colleague said, we’re here to show our discord with the Chief Fire Officer of Buckinghamshire, to let him know that as FBU members we are not happy with the way he treated our colleague Ricky Matthews.
‘We’re here to let the Chief Fire Officer know that bully-boy tactics are not going to work. We’re here to support our members in Bucks – show our solidarity.
‘The pension issue is something that needs to be resolved through dialogue. It seems funny that the devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can find a solution, yet Westminster can’t.’
Cambridge FBU brigade secretary Cameron Matthews said: ‘We have had one on-call station closure, people were upset but that was part of £4.2m cuts in Cambridge.
‘We’ve lost 40 firefighter jobs, five officers and 32 support staff as well as a lot of appliances. This is a detriment to the service we provide the public.
‘If there are any more cuts, then we need to seriously consider strike action over cuts. The NHS is under attack, all working people are under attack, that’s why I’m for a general strike to protect working people and the service.’
Norfolk FBU member Chris Stanley said: ‘I am very disappointed with the cuts to the fire service.
‘They are trying to reduce crew numbers and watches. Where we had seven on a watch, they want to reduce that to six. This has an impact on the health and safety of our crew members.
‘I am very angry about the changes to the pension scheme. We have to pay more to get less and work longer. Standards of living have dropped. Most firefighters are not in it to make money, they just want a decent wage for the work have to do.’
FBU Wales regional secretary Cerith Griffiths told News Line: ‘I am here to show support for Ricky and show support for striking firefighters in England.
‘The sacking of Ricky is absolutely disgraceful. It’s not just an attack on one of our members, it’s an attack on us all. This has wider implications for the whole trade union movement.’
Brighton FBU member Chris Scholes from Preston Circus fire station said: ‘I’ve come up for solidarity to support Ricky Matthews. We already have some of the most draconian anti-union laws.
‘It’s bullying, it’s wrong and it was a legal strike when they sacked him. Defence of things like this are bigger than the FBU.
‘We have politicians who say that they should make it a 50% threshhold for a legitimate strike. Ultimately, they want to take away the right to strike.’
Merseyside FBU member Ian Hibbert said: ‘This is something that affects the whole trade union movement.
‘Every trade union should look over their shoulder if one maverick chief officer can get away with this. We are fighting for the right to strike and not have bullying hanging over you. The TUC must take action over this.’
Postal worker, South Central CWU rep John Franklin said: ‘I’ve come down to show solidarity for our brothers in the FBU and in particular, Ricky Matthews. We have had CWU officers who have been dismissed in disputes.
‘The TUC must galvanise support within the trade union movement to deal with this issue. The government wants to dissolve the public services.’
Earlier, at Holloway Fire Station in north London, firefighters spoke to News Line on the morning picket line.
John said: ‘If we don’t look like we’re fighting for this, they’ll come for more. It will be the shift system next.
‘The media is not putting it out there. They don’t care. The public don’t even know we’re on strike and they’ve got the right to know because it is dangerous. There’s a hush all over the media.
Colin Jones, Holloway FBU, said: ‘The strike is solid. We need to have a central rally point because we need to draw attention. There should be national days of action and the TUC should step up to the mark.
‘There should be a national public sector alliance strike to bring down the government. Only shareholders and business people want this government, ordinary people don’t want it. It’s going to get worse, this is the calm before the storm.’
At Luton Fire Station pickets were out from 9am. FBU member Jamie Newell told News Line: ‘The position now is that the government could easily make proposals to end our strikes.
‘The authorities in Wales and Scotland have been able to settle with the union, but Westminster are point balnk refusing.
‘They have provided no answer to the FBU’s evidence based position that firefighters in their late fifties, can’t maintain an operational fitness.
‘It’s just not feasible, We have reports even from the chief fire officers association backing up our position. The government is attacking our pensions purely as a further austerity measure.
‘We are determined to carry on fighting. We say save people – not banks. The government have the power to settle this dispute but are refusing.’
