Firefighters
have rejected the a ‘final’ offer of a 16 per cent pay rise over three years in
return for big changes in working practices, and now hope to hold last-ditch
talks with the Government in a bid to head off a resumption of strikes.
The
Fire Brigades Union executive will meet on tomorrow (Tuesday) and, it is
believed, will consider strike dates that could coincide with the start of
military action in Iraq.
If
they do, the military will find it hard to provide cover.
Deputy
Prime Minister John Prescott has refused to say if the Government would ban
fire strikes in the event of war.
