The first strike starts tomorrow at 9am and the other on Saturday at the same time. There had been an expectation that the stoppages would be delayed after last week's negotiations with employers under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas.
However, the FBU's general secretary, Andy Gilchrist, said today that the union could not accept government and employers' plans for a "modernisation" programme, which he claimed would lead to the loss of thousands of jobs.
After a meeting of the union's 19-member executive at a central London hotel, Mr Gilchrist said: "As long as the government and employers hold to that position, this dispute will continue. Firefighters regret the decision today, but they feel they have no alternative, because the government and employers are continuing to implement their agenda regardless of negotiations."
Mr Gilchrist said the union was being told that any pay increase above 4% this year would mean extra job losses. The prime minister, Tony Blair, told firefighters last year that anything over a 4% rise without changes to working practices could not be accepted as it would lead to pay demands by other public sector workers.
Fire authority employers were "unable or unwilling" to negotiate properly, Mr Gilchrist claimed today. The union has asked for a 40% pay rise.
The FBU's executive made the decision, which Mr Gilchrist says was unanimous, despite criticism from the Tories during last week's 24-hour stoppage that they were compromising military preparations for a conflict with Iraq.
Antiquated green goddess tenders crewed by armed forces staff will answer emergency calls during the walkouts, the latest in a series of strikes since November last year when FBU members overwhelmingly voted to strike for better pay. The union has some 50,000 members.
