While I agree that the actions of the FBU are bordering on blackmail, incendiary (no pun intended) comments such as "Illiterate, Macho Bully Boys" and "Getting paid to watch pretty bonfires" from Clive (see below) will not help the process at all.
Not everyone gets the chances to go to University. Take the educated high ground if you want, but you can't generalise and tar ALL firefighters with a 'mentally inferior' tag. They have to be fit, sharp individuals to be good at their job.
It is the senior members of the FBU we should be directing our CONSTRUCTIVE and WELL-BALANCED views at, and not encourage a siege mentality towards the individual firemen at the picket lines. This will drive them further away from reconciliation, leave them alienated from the public and breed suspicion on all sides.
Let's hope the politicians see sense in outlining and proposing a fair, open deal to all today. If the FBU keeps playing by stupid, selfish rules - and won't accept a REALISTIC offer (ie not 40% or even 25%), then perhaps more drastic action must be considered.
One final thing, the lack of training suffered by the army (because of relief firefighting cover) may even the odds a little if we finally go to war with Iraq...
Joel
Coventry
The firefighters deserve a good rise, they are well disciplined well trained brave and do a brilliant job.
They risk their lives when they go out to fires. Where would we be without them?
I would prefer to have more taken out of my salary to fund their rise. Also good police service and NHS. why should these professional people not be paid well? They are the best.
P. Stewart
Worcestershire
Firemen - Hmm let me see. They don't tell you how much you are going to earn at the interview? - wrong
Being a fireman is a career I aspire to as I will be able to have riches beyond my dreams - wrong
Being a fireman is about saving lives and property, not about money - right
From what I've heard, 20 odd years ago at the last strikes the FBU set themselves a set of targets, which have been adhered to and THAT is why they are so far behind pay wise.
My brothers are in the army. They get £150 of takehome pay a week. thats £600 a month. They get their board and lodgings admittedly, but thats it.
They are on call 24hrs a day, and can be posted anywhere in the world at a moments notice - and they cant strike!!!
There are plenty of unemployed people who would relish the chance to earn what firemen do, wonder if we should sack all the strikers and get the unemployed trained up?
Si Kellow
Coventry
Today i was going to do cooking at school but we could not cook what we made because of the risks of having a fire incase .so i think they should stop complaining and get on with their job .They stoped us from learning.WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SUFFER!
jai
I have heard numerous members of the FBU comparing the pay of Firefighters to "other public sector professionals" such as teachers,nurses or paramedics. Given that professionals must have a specialist area of knowledge attained at university level, I fear that they seem to have shot themselves in the foot. Does their ten week training programme compare to these others?...
Teaching is an all-graduate profession with many teachers also studying at post-graduate level. After 3 or 4 years training they start on a salary BELOW that of firefighters, and are only given increases by taking on further responsibilities.
Nurses, too, are all university educated with a professional register and specialist knowledge base. Nurses must train for at least 3 years being paid a paltry bursary of around £6000 per year, and then are unlikely to attain the basic pay rate of a firefighter in less than 5 years thereafter. This will involve then taking on huge levels of responsibility for the welfare of others, and also to participate in training and professional development.
Paramedics train for three years and earn much less than firefighters, despite having a vast area of specialist knowledge.
Firefighters are going to have to admit to being what they really are...a bunch of overgrown kids who do 10 weeks training to allow them to watch some pretty big bonfires. OK, it's dangerous, but there are huge queues of people wanting to do it. It clearly appeals!
If they weren't such a bunch of illiterate, self-centred, macho bully boys then this strike would not have even been considered. Don't give in to their tactics. They only differ from other public sector workers in that they are paid a DECENT wage for a manual job as opposed to a BELOW AVERAGE wage for a highly skilled job.
Clive
Warwickshire
I personally think that the Firefighters well and truely deserve the pay rise they are asking for. They are the only emergency service who has to attend a call out false or real. They don't have the choice do we go or do we stay. When they arrive at a fire they are already prepared and don't think of their own safety and go in to help rescue persons if they are trapped.
Why should our firefighters have to modernised there procedures for them to even come close to a 16% rise when our local councillors and government can give themselves 41% pay rises for doing nothing?
Wendy Jones
Warwick
They are putting peoples lives at risk and should not go on strike, not for that long at least 4 days would create the same effect.
Stuart Campbell
Lancaster
Remind me how much will be the cost of the recent members of paliments wage package cost the economy?
I'm allright Jack pull up the ladder so to speak.
D. j. Callis
Medway
Firefighters should not be allowed to strike. Nor should they be able to work during their 'rest' days.
Their current salary is currently comprable to that of skilled labour. Market forces will decide what pay a profession receives, if it is inadequate then Firemen should leave the profession in their droves.
Why haven't they? Have they found that for their skill base the only work available is for far less money?
Stuart
Nuneaton
There is not anything gained in economy by having very young or inexperienced servants at low wages; the cost of what they waste, break and destroy, is more than equivalent for higher wages, setting aside comfort and respectability.
Dave Juno
Australia
After watching the lunchtime news i agree with the strike and think the goverment needs to sort their self out.These Fireman put their lives at risk most days to save others then you get a high profile footballer kicking a ball around a pitch and worrying about breaking a leg and getting paid £90,000!!!!! Something is definetly not right.
Laura Simm
Location not specified
The firemen would not have gone on strike if they were being paid an adequate salary. The government have ignored their requests and the strike is solely down to their mismanagement and fear of other industries striking.
You cannot ask a man to put his life on the line regularly for strangers and not be able to earn an adequate salary to look after his own family.
There would be enough money in the country's coffers if it wasn't being wasted on refugees coming here and bleeding us dry. Why doesn't the government take a stand on that?
Glennis Pollard
Hitchin, Herts
The Police are not now allowed to strike but a PC with 15 years service earns £29K.
John Smythe
The figure £26,000 noted as being the avarage wage in the UK is by all means a misleading argument in the firefighters quest for a higher wage.
Deserving or not, I'm sure the vast majority of people in the UK earn less than £21,000, but by the time you have taken into account the few who earn ludicrous salaries and the many who earn far less than the firefighters existing £21,000- the average is invariably pushed up to a figure better suited to their argument.
Surely the mode figure would be more representative and less misleading.
Ruth
Birmingham
Having just driven into Rugby and witnessed a major fire at the Carpetright showroom, which will undoubtedly destroy Focus, Allied Carpets, Pets at Home, Comet, Homebase, and T K Maxx (which opened TODAY), it has brought home just how SELFISH firemen are.
Why go into a job which pays crap money unless you want to earn crap money?
The answer - because either they care about their fellow human beings (which they obviously DO NOT) or you can't get a decent job as they are too thick to do anything but point a hose at flames.
The wage they are paid seems about right for what is simply MANUAL LABOUR. If they want more money, GET A JOB THAT PAYS MORE!!
NOBODY FORCED THEM TO JOIN.
BLACKMAILERS!
David Edwards
Rugby
Firefighters should get at least the national average wage to do the job they do.
The money is available people don't just see it,
1. How many of us know how much money is being paid out to people who see it as there god given right to fiddle the DSS every week instead of paying there own way as most of us do.
2. If each person who knows of somebody fiddling the DSS were to inform the DSS benefit fraud team ,money would be freely available to pay firefighters the national average salary and loads more left over to pay for improoved services in hospitals,schools
3. Millions of pounds each week go to people who are on the fiddle (what could this money go on if they were stopped )
Think about it. To stop 1 person fiddling would pay for 1 firefighters pay rise Dont think about it ,stop moaning and go and do it
Whats worse fiddlers or firefighters?
How many firefighters are there in the country?
How many fiddlers are there in the country?
Its not rocket science is it?
B E
Coventry
I dare say the fire fighters deserve a better salary, but as we are reminded they are professional workers.
And professional workers DON'T strike, if they are truly worth more, then they should have no problem convincing the powers up top they are worth it.
The strike is nothing more than holding the country to RANSOM...
And, why are they allowed to strike, the police force aren't?
Matt
Coventry
Why should firefighters ask for 40% pay rise?There many thousands of people serving others in this country for well less than £21000, let alone the supposed national average of £26000, in fact most of the Armed Force Green Goddesses crews earn less then £21000, yet they put there lives at risk all the time for are freedom, many lay there lives down for us each year, so we should not pay over the odds for firefighters, but give the money towards are Services men & woman who can not strike, and have to take every think given to them by Government on our behalf.
Mr A Hunter
Location not supplied
Tony Blair & John Prescott once said in parliment that the DSS was a safety net for those people/families who fell on hard times until they got back on their feet.
They went on to say that to many people/families are now using it as a hammock.
Its time to cut the hammock from under those who arent using it as a safety net and releasing hugh amounts of money every week to pay for improoving services.
Pay the firefighters at least the national average salary .
B E
Coventry
I think that they should get a 40% pay rise because they are risking their lives.
Laura
Belfast
Approx 3 weeks ago it was reported that the government was going to take £10 off each household's Community Charge (Poll Tax) to entice more to come out and vote in local elections, surely it would be more beneficial to the people of this fine country to give this money to the fire fighters. After all what is more important in life, votes or peoples lives?
Lee Clarke
Atherstone
I want to say that I do not support the action of the fire fighters, I feel it is very manipulative & irresponsible.
Whilst we all I think would recognise the valuable job they do, that does not really warrant the demand for a 40% pay rise.
There are many thousands of people serving others in this country for well less than £21000, let alone the supposed national average of £26000, myself for one, they do it quietly out of the public eye.
I heard today that there is about 70 applicants for each vacancy in the fire service, If it is so under payed why is this? Secondly, I wonder how many firemen actually leave the service prematurely as a result of the supposed poor conditions, not many I think.
I am left wondering, Maybe it is not that bad after all, and maybe the real motivation is fear of reforms which may threaten to rock the boat, rather than poor pay which is powering the machine.
Michael
Nuneaton
Someone said that firemen being public servants shouldn't strike because they have such an important job to do. If their job is so important why are they not at least paid the national average? fireman take a risk a very serious risk to their lives whenever they turn out on duty for not much more than £21,000 a year.
Politicans get more than that for shuffling paper and shouting at each other in parliment. i am not married to a fireman and am not related to anyone in the fire brigade but they have my full support and my husband's.
Delta Cooper
Shipston
I support the strike. What a decision to take. To choose between ones sense of duty to the public and their duty to their families. How much would it truly cost each member of the public? 10p per week.
Mike Ashbrook
Location not supplied
Our firemen are the best in the business and are highly-trained skilled workers.
We should give them the best salary we possibly can no matter what. THey put themselves in the firing line more than any other emergency service people.
I Rodber
Hinckley
They can't go on strike! It's holding the government to ransom when there isn't enough money to pay them.
I'm sure Tony Blair would like to give them the money they're asking for, just as we all would, but it simply isn't there.
I work in the public service and have a degree and I struggle to make ends meet while earning less than the firemen. I can't and won't go on strike to try and grab money that isn't there.
Peter L
Coventry
Re Mrs McDermott's comments. Firefighters should have a pay rise to make sure they're on a par with other public service workers, like the police.
However, 40% is excessive and - like Tony Blair said - could put a massive strain on the country's economy.
Unreasonable wage demands followed by walk-outs? Are we sure this is the 21st century?
Bruce Halliwell
Coventry
It's an outrage that they're allowed to go on strike. There should be a system in place to stop this happening.
Pat
Meriden
My husband is a fireman and he puts his life at risk to help others every day. Train drivers earn more than he does. Why shouldn't they get the pay rise that they deserve?
Mrs McDermott
Coventry
How many people are going to die while the fire brigade is on strike? The green goddesses are no match for modern fire engines and, especially in rural areas, they will never be able to get to the fire until it's too late.
Mrs Darwin
Location not supplied
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