LINDA SMITH is the London regional treasurer of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and a prominent member of RESPECT. Liam Mac Uaid spoke to her about the union's recent troubles with the government and the prospects for SR: On the face of it the FBU's pay settlement agreed at the end of August looks pretty good, compared to what other public sector workers have got. Why do you think this is?
LS: It's interesting that from the outside people think that the settlement is good. Our members perceive that they have sold a lot to achieve the 16 percent increase. We have so far only seen 7.5 per cent in our pay packets despite having been promised the other 3.5 percent last November and the 4.2 per cent this July.
There is no agreed pay formula for achieving pay increases in the future. The only agreement we have with our employers is that we will be linked to the 'average rise in earnings of associated professional and technical workers.
We have seen no figures or projections as to where this will leave us in future. It could be that it will be more beneficial than the old formula that linked us to the upper quartile of the male manual worker, but we will have to wait and see.
To achieve the 16 per cent we have given up hard won conditions of service in the
of 'modernisation' including a long service increment (payable after 15 years of service) of £1000 of pensionable pay a year.
Modernisation will also mean job losses in the future, changed shift patterns, reduced attendances and fire cover. We have already surrendered our pre-arranged overtime ban and seen specialist appliances in London that are not permanently crewed.
No member of the FBU is cheering and saying 'didn't we do well?. We have learnt many lessons however, including that a lot of Labour politicians are complete bastards. They treated honest decent working people with absolute contempt. We will not forget that. SR: Mike Fordham, the union's Assistant General Secretary says in his letter to members "We must not be naive and must be prepared trust the most. Politicians came last with 8 per cent so l perceive professional envy LOU.
They want to characterise us stupid, lazy, Neanderthal white men, but that is not the true picture. The reason I am a union official is that right from my very first day on a fire station I was impressed by FBU members professionalism, skill and compassion.
The government's modernisation programme shows a deep misunderstanding of the fire service. Their hatred of the FBU will prevent them from making decisions that will improve fire brigades for everyone. SR: Was there much opposition to the decision to disaffiliate from the Labour Party among the membership?
Disaffiliation from Labour was a huge issue for the members. voted to disaffiliate. It was a very satisfying and liberating moment, historically important in our union and in the wider movement too. SR: Will FBU members be looking for a political voice in the medium future or will they want to "avoid" politics?
I am clear that trade unionists need a political voice, but one that speaks for the members, not against them.
This view is not held by all our members, a section of whom think that a trade union should concern itself with industrial issues only.
Hopefully having experienced the dispute, these members are now aware that politicians play a crucial role in all aspects of public sector jobs. You cannot separate politics and work. The war on Iraq was talked about at every single picket line. Our mem'ramming political ideas down their throats' (as some members put it) they backed off.
I think local groups should try to talk initially to the station FBU rep and see what he or she saying about what is happening inside the FBU and the fire service.
In London Lindsey German, the RESPECT candidate for mayor wrote to us saying that she supported no cuts in the fire service, no downgrading of fire cover at night and our opposition to attending ambulance calls. No other party was able to sign up to all of that, or sent us a letter.
This could be a good way of showing that RESPECT supports firefighters.
Some members will not be interested, but what I love about firefighters is they are pretty direct, they may disagree with you, but will The war on Iraq was talked about at every
single picket line. Our members made
the link that there was limitless money for war but no money
for us.
It may take some time but I think local groups can build a constructive relationship with fire stations that could grow into more formal links. At the moment the FBU is