Firefighters and control room staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has given the Government and employers a deadline of 10 days to make an improved pay offer. If the strikes go ahead, they will be the first nationwide walk-outs by fire brigade staff since 2003.
It comes after members of the union rejected a 5% pay rise offer in November. The ballot saw a significant turnout of 73%, with 88% of voters in favour of a walkout if a higher pay offer is not received.
READ MORE: North East physio says first ever strike over pay is because workers are 'on their knees'
General secretary of the FBU Matt Wrack said that fire brigade staff were "increasingly struggling" to pay their bills amid the rising cost of living as he called on the Government and employers to take action. Wrack said that the union will announce "a series of strike dates" in the coming weeks if the dispute is not resolved.
"This is an overwhelming vote for strike action against an offer which would mean further significant cuts to real-terms wages for firefighters and control room staff," he said. "They have already lost at least 12% of the value of their pay since 2010.
"This is an absolute last resort for our members," Mr Wrack added. "The responsibility for any disruption to services lies squarely with fire service employers and Government ministers.
"Firefighters were among Britain’s Covid heroes who kept frontline services going during the pandemic. The Prime Minister has badly misjudged the public mood by imposing pay cuts on key workers."
Yvette Cooper, shadow Home Secretary, said: "Firefighters run towards danger when the rest of us run away. They put their lives and their health at risk to rescue others and they need fair pay and conditions.
"No one, including firefighters themselves, wants a strike. It is this Conservative Government’s reckless behaviour that has crashed the economy, and their failure to get a grip on inflation means working people are struggling more and more.
"This is their mess to fix. It’s up to the Home Secretary to get around the table and talk. She should be doing everything she possibly can to negotiate a deal and prevent a strike."
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