The Fire Brigades Union today suspended an eight-day strike planned to start this Wednesday but announced industrial action for next week.
The firefighters' union set a new 48-hour strike to start on Wednesday November 13 and warned that further walkouts will go ahead later this month and in December unless there was a settlement on its pay demands.
The union's executive decided after a four-hour meeting today that Wednesday's strike - which was originally planned to be the first in a series of eight-day strikes - should not go ahead so negotiations with local authority employers can resume tomorrow.
The announcement came around four hours after the FBU's executive started a crucial meeting at the union's headquarters in Kingston-upon-Thames.
Executive members arriving at the meeting had been lobbied by dozens of firefighters from London, Essex and Derbyshire not to cancel the strike, arguing not enough progress has been made on the FBU's central campaign for a 40% pay rise. Employers have offered a 4% rise.
However, the FBU has been anxious that a strike could damage public support for its aims, as ageing military green goddess vehicles would have to be used to provide emergency cover across the country. There had been speculation that the action could cost lives.
Earlier today, the prime minister called on the FBU to find a "responsible" settlement. At his monthly media briefing, Tony Blair said the "government's position hasn't changed from the beginning and can't change because we have got to act responsibly across the whole picture of public sector pay".
He added that the need to be responsible was "why we obviously couldn't accept the 40% wage claim".
Mr Blair repeated the government line that what was on the table was 4%. Plus there was George Bain's independent review, "which is looking at whether there can be a new formula which links any further pay increases to modernisation and changes in work practices".
The union and the government met last week and progress was made on a new pay formula and on pay rises for retained firefighters as well as control room staff. But it is understood that the two sides spent less than an hour talking about the main pay claim.
Two 48-hour walkouts planned for last week were called off so that fresh negotiations could be held but a group of firefighters from Hornsea, north London, said they believed strikes should go ahead from Wednesday. "They have had plenty of time to come up with an offer. We believe it is insulting that we have not been given a pay offer despite calling off last week's strikes," said firefighter Roy Keightley.
A delegation of firefighters from Derbyshire also lobbied the talks. Matt Lee, chairman of the union's Derbyshire branch, said: "Unless we get substantial and tangible progress, we believe the strikes should go ahead. We are resolute in achieving the claim that 52,000 members of this union voted for."
