Talks break down over London firefighters' bonfire night strike threat

Talks to prevent a strike by London firefighters during bonfire night over a row about contracts and working hours broke down today after officials from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) met counterparts from the London Fire Authority. "Regrettably, the brigade representatives had nothing new to say to us," an FBU spokesman said. The firefighters plan a 48-hour stoppage beginning on November 5, one of the busiest days for fire crews, which this year also coincides with the Hindu festival of Diwali. The FBU says fire chiefs want to impose unreasonable shift patterns, and have threatened to dismiss firefighters who do not agree to them. The fire authority says the shifts are workable and were first proposed five years ago. The FBU spokesman said the union was dismayed that the chair of the fire authority, Brian Coleman and London's chief fire officer, Ron Dobson, did not attend the talks. "The authority's proposals on new working hours would seriously disrupt firefighters' family lives and lead to cuts in fire cover," he said. "The authority does not have to reach agreement with us on shifts to get us to call off the strikes. They just have to withdraw the sacking notices that were sent out on August 11. "Our message is that we will cancel all planned strikes if the brigade agrees to lift the mass sackings. We can then negotiate a fair settlement as equal parties." An eight-hour strike on Saturday meant 27 fire engines were crewed by contract staff across the capital instead of the usual 150. Another stoppage is planned for Monday with a two-day strike threatened for much of the following weekend. Coleman said: "The compromise of an 11-hour day and 13-hour night shift is achievable through talks, and the FBU have today walked away. "Our message is simple – call off the strikes now and meet us on November 5 at the Resolution Advisory Panel which has the ability to resolve this dispute. "The continuing determination by the FBU to take strike action is unnecessary, unjustified and will be viewed unsympathetically by Londoners. This dispute centres on proposed changes to make Londoners even safer from fires." Downing Street has condemned the strike as irresponsible while the Labour leader Ed Miliband has made it clear he would not support the action. The fire minister Bob Neill said during an emergency Commons debate that the strike was "old fashioned militant muscle-flexing".