Heat on fire chiefs over pensions

FIREFIGHTERS during their strike at Chadderton Community Fire Station, with Dave German front right

FIRE Brigade Union representatives for the North-West insist yesterday’s four-hour strike was a last resort aimed at fixing pensions and increasing safety.

Union members went on strike between noon and 4pm after a ballot in July. They claim broken pension promises would see firefighters as old as 60 attending emergency calls.

Dave German, FBU shop steward at Chadderton Community Fire Station, said the decision had not been taken lightly and urged the Government to return to the negotiating table.

He said: “This is not what we signed up for, some people are going to have to work 10 years longer and get less out of it.

“We appreciate the financial difficulty but we have one of the highest pension contributions in the public sector. We want a pay scheme that’s right and fair.”

The service has come under fire for compromising public safety during the strike action but Mr German refuted these claims.

No serious incidents took place during the strike. The County Guard attended one incident where a 35-year-old man was cut from a car following a collision at the junction of Park Road and Woodstock Street shortly after 1.30pm.


WORKERS at hundreds of crown post offices across the country will stage a fresh strike on Monday in a row over pay, jobs and closures.
Crown post offices are the biggest branches in larger towns. Oldham’s is on Lord Street in the town centre.