Some fire stations in the UK are only answering 999 calls after 35 firefighters were suspended in three fire stations in Greater Manchester yesterday for refusing to use new anti-terrorism equipment.
The firefighters' protest came after last week's unexpected breakdown in talks to finalise the deal that ended last year's bitter pay dispute. The agreement promised a 3.5% pay rise, backdated to last November.
Employers condemned the "illegal" move and called on the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) to return to the negotiating table. The government described the strikes as unjustified.
Areas now affected by the wildcat "emergency calls only" action include parts of the West Midlands, Strathclyde, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. Firefighters in Avon and Cornwall were also expected to join in.
FBU members on Tayside answered emergency calls only last night but were expected to end their protest today. Last week, Norfolk and Kent firefighters took similar unofficial action.
FBU officials threatened to ballot their 55,000 members for a new round of official action, claiming attempts had been made to enforce last-minute changes on earlier negotiations.
A spokesman for the union said: "There was spontaneous action by individual firefighters angered at the bullyboy tactics of local managers. These tactics can do nothing but inflame matters rather than resolve them."
But a spokeswoman for the office of John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, who is responsible for the fire service, said: "There is no justification for any such action, which could put lives and property at risk.
"Discussions between the union and employers are still going on, and negotiations are clearly the way forward. We still hope to see an early resolution to these issues.
"But the union and its members must recognise that the June 2003 settlement made payment of salary increases dependent on progress in modernisation, and this will be put in jeopardy by further industrial action."
Christina Jebb, chairwoman of the employers' side of the national joint council for local authorities' fire brigades, called on the FBU to repudiate the strikes "because they walked away from the discussions, not the employers".
Speaking at a press conference, Barry Dixon, who is in charge of the fire service in Greater Manchester, said the scale of the protest should not be overestimated.
He said that of the 41 fire stations in Greater Manchester only three had so far taken action - Salford, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Broughton - and only five of 67 fire engines were affected. The main flashpoint was in Salford where 19 firefighters were suspended.
Firefighters in Wales have also been refusing to use the anti-terrorism equipment in protest at the recent impasse in negotiations. Moreover, some firefighters have grievances about new shift patterns.
The FBU's executive member for Scotland, John McDonald, told BBC Radio Scotland further industrial action could be imminent. He said: "It's absolutely disgraceful what's happening ... We seem to get all the praise when we attend incidents but unfortunately we haven't had the pay."
Those taking part in the unofficial action included 20 officers in three full-time stations in Somerset. A fire service spokesman said: "Because the action is unofficial it is difficult to know when it will end - it could be today, tomorrow or in a couple of days."
In Leicestershire, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Ian Scarrott said between 20 and 30 firefighters at Oakham, Loughborough and Hinckley stations were only taking 999 calls.
He said no lives were being put at risk by the action in Leicestershire, but admitted it had made the management of the 999 service more difficult.
