IN PICTURES and VIDEO: 100 firefighters protest against proposed cuts to West Midlands Fire Service

The protesters waved Fire Brigade Union (FBU) flags and stood in unison outside WMFS Headquarters in Vauxhall Road in Birmingham earlier today.

They were taking a stand against plans by WMFS chiefs to change working patterns for firefighters, reduce rates of pay and remove existing leave arrangements. Fire control workers were also protesting as they face the prospect of redundancies.

At the same time as the protest, West Midlands Fire Authority was holding a meeting to discuss the planned changes, which it says are necessary as the service looks to be hit again when George Osborne swings the axe towards public services in his Autumn Statement on Tuesday.

Steve Price-Hunt, the brigade secretary for the FBU West Midlands, said that the FBU would enter into a full industrial dispute with the service if it did not alter its proposals.

He said: "Enough is enough. This Labour-led fire authority have the power to stop these attacks on firefighters' conditions of employment, and they need to act now.

"We are facing the prospect of no proper shift pattern, with firefighters not knowing when they are working and when they are not. We are talking about firefighters not being able to take leave in the summer or, in some cases, taking no holiday for nine months of the year and suffering reductions in pay. This has to stop. They need to sit down, talk, and negotiate. The FBU are prepared to negotiate but if they are not we will enter into a full industrial dispute with West Midlands Fire Service for the first time in 10 years."

Barry Downey, the executive council member for the FBU, added: "Our members will not be bullied into accepting new contracts. They have got contracts that they have been working to for decades and there was never anything wrong with them. They are happy. The new proposals are unacceptable. We will go into a trade dispute with the intention of balloting our members for industrial action, short of a strike."

"We want to talk to the decision makers at corporate level not those in low-level management."

Firefighters from across the West Midlands attended the protest, including Andy Shaw from Stafford who works at Wolverhampton's central fire station.

He said: "Obviously they are making these cuts but they are expecting us to pay for them. They want us to work overtime but they are not willing to pay the overtime rate."

"Morale in the station is very low. It's difficult because it's causing a division between staff."

A second firefighter, Andy Scattergood from Wednesbury who works at the Highgate fire station in Birmingham, added: "Across the West Midlands morale is rock bottom at the moment." "Firefighters don't know what shifts they'll be working next year or when they'll be getting their holiday."

As well as the scores of protesters with their flags outside the headquarters, the FBU members had also parked up their fire engine opposite the HQ with several prominent figures giving speeches from its roof.

One of those giving a speech was David Nellist, the national chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and former Labour MP for Coventry South.

He said: "I have been coming to FBU demonstrations for 40 years now. The response times to emergencies for West Midlands Fire Service in the five years of a coalition have increased. Responses are now 26 seconds slower in the West Midlands.

"This fire authority are making staff bear the brunt of central government cuts."

Neil Spencer, a spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service, said: "West Midlands Fire Service is trialling new staffing arrangements, which will protect the level of service we provide to the community.

"We currently have 19 Brigade Response Vehicles and 41 fire engines based at our 38 fire stations. The purpose of the trial is to ensure we can maintain the delivery of our 999 service - and get to life-risk emergencies in 5 minutes - as well as our equally critical prevention and protection work.

"Cuts in the funding we get from the Government from 2016 to 2019 will be in the region of £14 million. Improved staffing arrangements will help us meet a significant proportion of this, alongside our continuing recruitment freeze.

"We are making it possible for staff to volunteer for additional shifts for a trial period. The proposals originated from staff suggestions, as a way to maintain the service we currently provide at the same time as making significant budget savings. The trial follows nearly two years of engagement and consultation with employees and their representative bodies.

"If we do not use these new additional shifts arrangements, we may have to reduce the number of fire fighters on fire engines, or reduce the number of engines available for emergencies. Such changes would present additional risks to members of the public involved in incidents, and to our staff, and may lead to fire station closures. This would ultimately lead to an increase in our response times and a substantial increase in risk to members of the community involved in incidents.

"Whilst the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have rejected the staffing trial proposal, the Fire Officers' Union (FOA) have agreed it along with a number of staff who aren't union members.

"We will continue to engage with our staff and unions to protect the level of service we know our communities value so highly."