From Todays Guardian, I will let you decide.
I did not exceed my brief
Monday August 9, 2004
The Guardian
Sadly the Local Government Association leaders (Letters, August 7) seem to be suffering more memory lapses.
No "binding agreement" was reached with the FBU. The provisional settlement, reached after many weeks of sensitive negotiations, facilitated by the TUC was to be taken to the employers' side meeting on August 2 for consideration. A joint meeting with the union would follow when, hopefully, the agreement could be signed.
The deal that was on the table would have given the LGA everything it wanted, as confirmed by fire chiefs throughout the UK. So I did not exceed the association's wishes - unless, of course, they wished it to fail.
My role as chair of the national joint council negotiating body was to represent and act on behalf of local government in the whole country, rather than to be mandated to support a minority view from London.
On the World at One programme, I answered a straight question - about the way I had voted - with a straight answer. Is that wrong?
An unnecessary confrontation with the FBU has now been provoked, and the only possible explanation is that senior figures at the LGA do not want a settlement.
Cllr Christina Jebb
Former chair of employers' side in the fire service negotiations