Britain's Firefighters Walk out in Nationwide Strike

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 14, 2002

Britain's Firefighters Walk out in Nationwide Strike

Firefighters walked off their jobs Wednesday in their first nationwide strike in a quarter-century, demanding a 40% pay raise to salaries they say are barely enough to live on.

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Firefighters walked off their jobs Wednesday in their first nationwide strike in a quarter-century, demanding a 40% pay raise to salaries they say are barely enough to live on.

About 50,000 firefighters across the United Kingdom began a 48-hour strike at 6 p.m. They threatened three eight-day strikes in November and December if the government does not meet their terms.

Providing protection in their place will be military personnel operating antiquated "Green Goddess" fire trucks �� no substitute for highly trained firefighters using the latest equipment. They are aided in small towns by part-time firefighters who haven't gone on strike.

Many firefighters have taken extra jobs, saying the base salary of $34,400 a year is inadequate, particularly in the expensive southeast region, where the average house price is well above $160,000.

The government and employers have offered pay increases of 11% over two years in return for a wholesale restructuring of the service. The Fire Brigades Union says they will accept nothing short of 40%, which raises the base salary to $55,000.

Britain's fire service is publicly funded, though local authorities run its 50 brigades. Talks foundered Tuesday with the union rejecting proposed changes in working conditions and deriding the government's offer as insulting, but discussions continued Wednesday.

The dispute has become a test of the resolve of Blair's Labor government, which this week published proposals for the biggest shake-up in the fire service for more than 50 years.

The average firefighter makes $34,400 for the first 15 years, when he gets a long-service bonus of less than $1,600 a year. A junior officer makes $38,400, the station commander $57,600.

Source: Agencies

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