The
eight-day firefighters strike is to go ahead.
The
Government has been accused of a last-minute intervention which
"wrecked" the chance of a peace deal.
All-night
talks were close to achieving a deal, but three hours before the strike was due
to start the Government intervened in the dispute – destroying peace hopes.
General
secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Andy Gilchrist said the union had decided
to suspend the strike after a new pay deal was tabled by employers. He said the
proposed deal would have given firefighters a pay rise of 16 per cent over the
next year.
The
Government said it wanted to study the details of the proposed deal, but could
not do so before 9 am, Gilchrist claimed.
He
says without the intervention of the Government, local authority employers
would have decided to agree the deal.