Over 7,000 striking Merseyside firefighters and their supporters marched through Liverpool last Saturday in a show of strength to demonstrate their determination to defeat plans to axe 140 frontline firefighters’ jobs and cut frontline fire services in the face of a £3.5m deficit.
Merseyside Fire Brigades Union (FBU) will end its current eight-day strike this Wednesday, when it will begin another eight-day strike.
The marchers called for the resignation of Merseyside chief fire officer Tony McGuirk, who has publicly declared he wants to break the FBU.
As well as the 1,100 Merseyside FBU strikers and their families, delegations took part from FBU Brigades across England, Scotland Wales and the north of Ireland.
They were joined by delegations with banners from Sefton UNISON, the PCS civil servants union national banner, North West Region PCS, Rolls Royce Amicus trade union Test Areas Shop Stewards, Liverpool National Union of Seamen and North West CWU.
Three Merseyside FBU members have been suspended during strike action.
As the march assembled, a Merseyside FBU member who did not wish to give his name because of the intimidatory atmosphere said: ‘I feel we’re getting bullied and harassed all the time.
‘I’m opposed to all the cuts.
‘The £3.5m which is in deficit should be saved from other sources than the frontline firefighters and taking fire engines from the front line.
‘Those senior officers who are working through the strike have now got civilians doing their office work.
‘Let the civilians do the office work, that would save a lot of money.
‘We have to take the chief fire officer on and them take on the government if we need to.
‘If nothing is sorted, all other brigades should come out and support us.’
A striking Merseyside firefighter from Bootle and Netherton fire station, which is one of the stations facing cuts, told News Line: ‘This dispute is about a chief fire officer who is out to destroy the union.
‘That is why so many are here today from other brigades.
‘They realise that his agenda has nothing to do with negotiations, it’s to do with smashing the Fire Brigades Union to enforce cuts.
‘This dispute has been engineered over two years during which time he has separated people off so he would have scabs waiting in the wings and he was ready to take on the FBU.
‘We’ve put up with two years of intimidation but we haven’t survived for 90 years to let one man break us.’
Jack Ford, FBU National Executive representative for Officer members, told News Line: ‘The Merseyside strike is important for workers everywhere.
‘It’s been a long time coming in Merseyside Fire Service.
‘Merseyside firefighters and operational control staff, after many years of abuse are standing up against a dictatorial chief officer whose ambitions are entirely about his personal agenda and not the benefit of his staff nor the people of Merseyside.
‘This dispute runs the risk of escalating outside of this brigade, if common sense doesn’t prevail and Tony McGuirk isn’t reined in by the Fire Authority.
‘There’s overwhelming support for the action the firefighters are taking, both from the public and their colleagues nationally.’
FBU EC member for South West, Tam McFarlane added: ‘We’ve got firefighters here from Cornwall, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset, including firefighters from the City of Bristol.
‘The resolve being shown by the firefighters in Merseyside is nothing short of magnificent.
‘We are here to stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in order to send a clear message that Merseyside will not be beaten.
‘I firmly believe that unless the fire authority shows some clear leadership and reins in the madness of chief fire officer McGuirk, then this dispute can only escalate.
‘I want to make it clear that Merseyside FBU will not be beaten.’
Mike Smith, EC member for Wales FBU, said: ‘This dispute is important because fire service managements across the country can see that the union is not beaten after the 30K pay dispute.
‘Secondly, McGuirk locally has got to recognise that whatever changes he wants to introduce, he can only do it by agreement with the FBU.’
Tom, an Essex firefighter, told News Line: ‘Today’s demonstration against draconian cuts being proposed by a former Essex officer is an example of the opposition to the direction that our national employers are keen to promote.
‘Firefighters from around the country are showing solidarity to defend the service from these cuts.’
Merseyside FBU member, retired firefighter Geoffrey Allen told News Line: ‘I was a firefighter for 30 years, always been a strong union man.
‘I was out for nine weeks in 1977 fighting the Callaghan Labour government.
‘All I can say is strength is unity.
‘There should be national action.
‘You’ve got to stand together as trade unionists.
‘There is a policy of cuts nationally that has to come from the government.
‘The chief fire officer is just a puppet.
‘If the chief fire officer was concerned for the people of Merseyside, he couldn’t be taking machines off at night – because that is the most dangerous time.
‘I’ve been to many fatalities in the early hours of the morning.
‘All they are worried about is making the budget.
‘The chief fire officer should be an officer for the men.
‘He’s got to have respect, but respect has just dwindled away.’
Grampian FBU member Kevin Ogilvy said: ‘We’re here to stop these cuts in Merseyside.
‘If they carry on here, it’s going to spread nationally.
‘The FBU nationally has a mandate to call a re-call conference for a vote for a national strike if any FBU member is made redundant.
‘I would back a national strike.
‘I did the last time and I will again.’
Norfolk FBU Brigade Secretary Neil Day told News Line: ‘We’re here supporting our colleagues in Merseyside.
‘Our members are fully aware that the fight for Merseyside is the fight for us all.
‘We cannot afford to let the Merseyside FBU lose.
‘Members have come up today to support the demonstration and to interact with Merseyside members so they can relate the position back to the Norfolk members.
‘The Norfolk members have already pledged financial donations towards the Merseyside hardship fund.
‘If we stick together we shall win.
‘We are aware that there is a wider agenda that needs to be challenged on a national basis.’
