A few facts to clear up some of the issues - this information found readily available after about 5 minutes searching on the web...
RW31 stated that even after the pay deal agreed back in June 2003, a firefighter would be on £25k, and that this would be £5k less than the equivalent Police salary. Not strictly true as after the pay award, a fully qualified firefighter with 5 years in would be on £25,000. A Police Constable (outside of London) with 5 years in would be on £24,852 (source:
www.Sussex.Police.uk) So that's broadly similar then...
What does differ is that the fireman will then not get a pay rise (other than annual pay award) until he reaches 15 years in, when his pay increases by a whopping £990 - then that's it. This assumes he isn't promoted to Leading Firefighter in the meantime. Meanwhile, the Constable continues to get an annual pay increase in addition to any pay award until he has done 12 years in, by which time he would be on £30,186 - so RW31 is partly correct in his statement, but it's not across the board.
That's not to say that I neccessarily agree with what RW31 is saying - if his argument about a conspiracy to foul the talks was entirely true, then why isn't it all over the papers? One article buried in the Independent doesn't exactly bolster the argument, and how many people in mainland UK read the Belfast Newsletter? If the FBU were whiter than white in this instance (which let's face it would be a first) then there are plenty of newspaper editors (particularly of the tabloid variety) just itching to give Tony and Fat Prezza a good kicking. Doesn't seem to have happened though, so I guess that either the journalists are a bit more sceptical about this conspiracy, or else there's been a monumental
PR failure by the FBU to sell their side of the story.
My understanding was that the original agreement included a clause that firefighters would undertake whatever work was required of them (ie work a normal day) on public holidays, and it was only at the 11th hour that the FBU changed their mind, despite months of negotiaion. Is this true, or has the FBU always disputed the working conditions for public holidays?
As for the armed forces treating public holidays differently, I would not expect that your average squaddie in Basra (or Afghanistan or Sierra Leone or the Balkans etc., etc...) was stood down on Christmas day last year. There are also 8 public holidays in every year. Does RW31 think that the Royal Navy's Ships or the RAF's aircraft just stop whetever they are doing on, say, the August Bank Holiday? Of course not. Life goes on as normal. If the Armed Forces are required to work on a public holiday, then they get on and work, not for any extra pay, but in the knowledge that that day can be taken at some other time in the year (ie they get a day in lieu). Why do the Firefighters want to be treated differently?
If this strike goes ahead then it will seriously impact the armed forces - not just the operational commitments but the individuals who have to actually go and cover for the firefighters. You are asking other people to risk their lives for nothing more than an easy time for yourselves on 8 days of the year. The simplest way to resolve this would be for the FBU to seize the moral high ground by using the press to announce that they are dropping their claim to reduced working on public holidays, that the firefighters will work a normal shift and challenge the Government that they are ready to sign the deal as agreed with the employers.
Somehow I don't think that this will happen as I don't think we're being told the whole story by either side - RW31 is obviously biased, but many of his answers to direct questions are deliberately evasive. I know that he has finally answered the question about double time, but for most of his answers he talked about being paid "premium rates" - a typical Union ploy to be evasive and never own up to what is actually the truth until absolutely backed into a corner.
The real bottom line is that the Fire Service should be treated like every other part of the Emergency Services - no right to strike and they get what's given when it comes to pay awards. If RW31 is correct about his assertion that this conspiracy theory goes right to the top of Government, then it's not a huge leap to deduce that the real reason for forcing the firefighters back on strike is to allow the Government to force through legislation to bring this about - ie the fire service loses its right to strike for ever more. If you were a Politician, then isn't that worth one more round of strikes? The FBU needs to tread very carefully if they are to come out of this smelling of anything other than the manure rather than the roses...