RESOLUTION FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:03 pm

Moved by the FBU’s London Regional Executive

This branch notes with anger and dismay the increasingly belligerent and
uncompromising stance of London Fire Brigade principal managers and heads of department, which has been responsible for the worst industrial disharmony in the organisation for several years.

On a whole raft of issues, the brigade has employed a hardline and inflexible approach in a blatant attempt to erode our conditions of service, such that FBU members are fighting a constant rearguard action to defend advances that have been hard-won over many years.

On CPD, the brigade ripped-up an existing agreement and imposed a tougher sickness criterion that makes it harder for members to access payment under the interim scheme. We demand a return to the previous agreement.

The brigade has imposed a draconian drugs and alcohol policy, which is more restrictive than the legal limit for drink-driving and makes provision for random testing. We demand that the policy be revised to reflect the legal limit for drink-driving and that provision for random testing be scrapped.

On subsistence, the brigade has imposed a revised policy which includes a new qualifying requirement of five miles and five hours and a clause that denies payments where a training course lasts for more than three days, on the absurd grounds that, after such time, the training venue becomes the ‘normal place of work’. Hundreds of members have lost money as a result. We demand a return to previous arrangements and reimbursement of all monies lost.

The brigade is attempting to reverse a decades-long protocol for campingout for middle managers, thereby forcing many to move home or pay for temporary accommodation. We demand a commitment to honour the existing protocol.

In 2007, the brigade offered financial inducements to Area Managers to optout of the Grey Book and take up the newly-created role of Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC). The brigade gave a commitment that those who did not wish to transfer would not be detrimentally affected and would remain on Grey Book conditions of service. The brigade is now attempting to renege on that commitment and has threatened to demote those not wishing to transfer.

The brigade has forced through unwelcome changes in a number of other areas, including annual leave, light duties policies, the mechanism by which workplace injuries are determined as due- or non-due-to-service, and targeted-calling. We demand the withdrawal of all detrimental policies or alterations to policies which have been unilaterally introduced.
This branch believes that enough is enough. The FBU must challenge head-on those militant managers and politicians whose dictatorial strategy is responsible for so much industrial strife.

We call upon the union’s London Regional Committee (LRC) to launch a ballot of the entire London membership for industrial action short of a strike, in pursuit of the above demands. Such action may include, but not necessarily be restricted to, a ban on pre-arranged overtime, a ban on new and short-term acting-up, a ban on hanging-on at change of shift, and a ban on participation in voluntary activities.

In addition, this branch notes that the brigade continues to argue for the introduction of 12-hour shifts and changes to the flexi- and day-duty systems. Should the brigade attempt to impose unwelcome change to working patterns at a future date, this branch demands that the union respond with a further campaign of industrial action

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:38 pm

Could not have put it better myself !!