Merseyside's firefighters could vote to walk out on strike.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) who work for the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) will begin voting in a new ballot for industrial action. The new vote comes after six months of action short of a strike from FBU members.
The new vote is the latest action in an ongoing dispute with MFRS over what the union describes as 'attacks on terms on conditions' and a reduction in night-time staffing numbers in fire control rooms.
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Merseyside FBU members working outside of fire control will vote on whether to stop undertaking pre-arranging overtime, while members working within fire control – actively putting out fires – will vote on taking discontinuous strike action.
Union members will cast their votes until the ballot closes on Monday August 21. If a yes vote is returned then action will begin no sooner than Monday September 4 and could last as long as six months.
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: "Our members in Merseyside are fighting to be heard by an employer who has stubbornly refused to listen.
"Firefighters have negotiated our terms and conditions nationally. It is an outrage that Merseyside fire service employers are attempting to silence firefighters while they undermine the agreed working conditions in the service.
"Frontline firefighters and control staff deserve to be treated with respect. Instead, they are facing ruthless and unjust attacks.
"Firefighters across the whole country stand shoulder to shoulder with Merseyside firefighters and control staff as they vote on their next steps in this dispute.”
Merseyside Fire Brigades Union Merseyside brigade secretary Ian Hibbert added: "FBU members do not take industrial action lightly, but we cannot stand by as our nationally agreed terms and conditions of service are attacked and eroded.
"All we are asking is that our employer honours our nationally agreed terms and conditions of service, instead of seeking to cut the Fire Brigades Union out of conversations entirely.
"The choice for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is simple, listen to the concerns of FBU members or face potential further, and in some cases escalating, industrial action."
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was approached for a response.
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