Firefighters end their four-day strike over pensions

The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) members ended their four-day strike over pensions yesterday.

The strike started at 6pm on Friday and ended 6pm on Tuesday. There were worries over the weekend as firework displays took place all over the capital.

The fire brigade members of West Yorkshire issued a warning that the public could be left “vulnerable” in case of small fires. However, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) refused to attend lift rescues or put out small grass and rubbish fires.

A house fire was reported in Dagenham and a blaze in a workshop in Neasden, which was dealt with by the stand in crews for the fire brigade and took 90 minutes to put out.

Union officials say that under the new pension plan, firefighters would have to work until the age of 60 instead of the previous 55 years of age. They will also have to pay more into their pension and will get less in their retirement.

Fire authorities have had to spend millions to hire contractors to cover the striking union members. Attempting to reassure the team the fire minister Penny Mordaunt said: “The strikes are unnecessary. Public safety is the primary focus and if anyone needs emergency assistance, they should dial 999. We are also consulting on changes to ensure that no firefighter aged 55 or over will face a risk of being left without a job or a good pension.”

 Halimat Shode