|  | Add your comment The Fire Brigades' Union is calling for a 40% pay rise and have rejected the 4% they have been offered. As the army and their Green Goddesses are mobilised, fears are growing in Beds, Herts and Bucks that emergency cover may not be sufficient. Should this action be allowed? Do they deserve 40 per cent? What's the answer? Have your say here. Read more about this story
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| Che, Stevenage | Friday 24
January, 2003 | | | Peter,this sentence says it all to me “If we know where there is a history of hoaxes we can send a police car or one vehicle rather than a full response" - these people WILL put peoples safety at risk to save money. How many times do you see on the news complaints about rural policing? These areas are not policed effectively because it is not cost effective - is this right? are the police a profit making organisation? No, they are there to protect the public as we are. They may well be right that large numbers of calls are hoaxes or more likely false alarms, however it only takes one of those calls to be legitimate and you get caught out and people die. I would rather spend an extra pound a week and know that i will get an appropriate response to my house and to my family regardless of whether there are idiots in my neighbourhood putting in hoax calls. Sending police on fire calls is a recipe for disaster as well, look at the eight day strike at least 10 police officers suffered smoke inhalation and had to be hospitalised because they got to incidents before Green Goddesses. And those 5000 people still in the square mile are their lives worth nothing? The city is one mile of ONE city how about all the other residents of london? If you listen to the ill considered ideas of the all-knowing politicians then you will see an increase of fire deaths - simple but true. If you want modernisation then why do the government not demand a legally binding attendance time for RTA's (Road traffic accidents) etc or actually fund the fire service for RTA calls? Because they would have to invest and probably have to have more fire stations. Modernisation is about progression. Increasing working hours above 42 per week (averaged), decreasing firefighters, fire stations and and fire appliances is regression. How can less of these things mean we can do a better job? After 55 years of the fire services act Modernisation should mean shorterning attendance timesand making criteria for attending fire and other calls tighter. but no as they say someones son or daughter is an acceptable statistic if it saves X amount of money. Would you be prepared to accept your son or daughers life as that statistic? My answer is a firm NO. You may not agree with my portrayal but this is how it really is - it is about real peoples lives not numbers on a piece of paper. |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Friday 24
January, 2003 | | | Peter,Bedford Firefighters were not invited to partake in the Bain Review, they were told this is it like it orlump it and sod the lot of you, and that includes the Public Safety. I agree some changes should take place, eg:- The fire cover is classified as A to D risk, A being the greatest and D the least. The governments have over the years cut the service to the Community and changed the risk to the point that a lot of residential areas were changed from A risk to B and some C D Risk areas and now you want cover again Ask the 5 what and how are they going to do this and who pays. Another unknown point is that the Fire Service is Funded to Fight Fire only all other incidents are not funded by the Government. try harder bud, try harder. |
| John Smythe, UK | Friday 24
January, 2003 | | | I'm afraid I must disagree with the comments regarding sending a Police Car to check out a suspected Hoax Fire Calls, (Fire Crews DO NOT go to false alarms, we only come back from them), If in the first place there is a Police car available, which is very unlikely, (Police Modernisation) they will have to travel to the address, 5 minutes ? who knows, then discover there is a fire, then call for the fire service to attend, the nearest crew have just been called out elsewhere, so they have to be mobilised from the next nearest station, say 8 miles away, 30 seconds to turn out if wholeltime crew, 3 - 5 minutes if retained, traveling time in 17 ton fire appliance 10 to 12 minutes. Would you find that acceptable ? I wouldn't. Just sending one crew to a building fire is un-accepable due to safety implications. each fire appliance genrally has a crew of 5 but can turn out with 4 ! or 6. We are also subject to the Health & Safety at Work act, so dynamic risk assessments have to be careried out by the crew commander to decide if a Breathing Apparatus crew should commit into the building immediately or wether to wait for back up, again it all depends on the risk to life, the publics and our own, this is why there are so few firefighters injured or killed because of the risk assessments that take place on the ground. If anything does go wrong, the crew commander will have to justify his actions in a Court of Law. The NHS Consultants rejected their pay offer and are still employed by the NHS and still working privately. The NHS Staff are getting a rise of 10% ( an average of 10% actually). You will soon see Paramedics pay increase from £18k to £27k, I bet you haven't heard that, because its being kept quiet. |
| Barbara Cooke, Hemel Hempstead | Friday 24
January, 2003 | | | Why do we have such a large Army in this country? SECURITY ! What have they been doing since the last world war? GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT ONE So what do they do 24/7? LOOK AFTER OUR COUNTRY! Why do we need all of them then when we are not at war ? Why do we need so many firefighters? SECURITY! The next war, Sept 11, Rail Disaters, Underground Disaters So why do we need so many firefighters ? TO BE PREPARED AND SAVE OUR LIVES ! Why do we need so many police officers ? SECURITY !Why when an event like the seige that took part over xmas in London was there so many police on duty, Why when there is a big sporting event like a every day game of football are there so many police officers about ? To stop trouble and protect the public and those who are putting on a show for them! So why dont we just stop going on about how many firefighters we dont need, And start thinking why ! we! need more! REMEMBER WE ALL NEED TO FEEL SECURE IN OUR LIVES! THAT IS WHAT WE PAY OUR GOVERMENT TO DO FOR US ! So next time you see a soldier, Police officer Firefighter remember they are our security in this country when it comes to the next war! How ever large or small it will be! |
| Peter, Bedford | Friday 24 January, 2003 | | | From today's Times. "Employer sources pointed out that the sites of most of today’s fire stations were chosen more than 70 years ago and were no longer appropriate. Rigorous national guidelines on fire cover were also old, based on controlling firestorms caused by bombings. “Many fires now take place on council estates following arson attacks and on the edge of city areas,” the source said. “But if there is a fire in a bank in the middle of a city at night we still send three fire engines to it and have to respond within three-and-a-half minutes, even though there is no one in the building and the property is insured.” While some fire stations will need to be sited in commercial areas to deal with blazes that break out during working hours, firefighters could be moved to other stations during the night when there is less risk to life. The population of the City of London, for example, is 500,000 during the day but drops to fewer than 5,000 at night. But the reverse occurs in suburbs, which are relatively unprotected at night. Research published in Sir George Bain’s review of the Fire Service shows that most fires break out between 6pm and midnight, with relatively few in the mornings. The Fire Service also now spends much more time rescuing people from traffic accidents, dealing with chemical spills from industrial plants and answering hoax calls. After the risk assessments many fire stations in commercial areas are expected to close while others will be built on motorway slipways, and near industrial plants and council estates, where arson is most common. There will also be fewer control centres handling 999 calls: some fire authorities will merge their centres and others will run joint ambulance, police and fire controls. Officials suggested that this would result in a more measured response to hoax calls. “If we know where there is a history of hoaxes we can send a police car or one vehicle rather than a full response,” said one. Hoaxes account for 41 per cent of calls and firefighters spend only 10 to 15 per cent of their time fighting fires" All seems very clear to me; changes must be made. If the Firefighters do not like the implications, too bad. I think the government is right to demand changes and the sooner the better. Firefighters were invited to participate in the Bain enquiry but stubbornly and arrogantly refused. Now the arguments should stop and like the NHS Consultants either accept the new conditions or look for another job. |
| Che, Stevenage | Friday 24 January, 2003 | | | John, Luton Rob in Saudi is doing his duty for his country and should be commended it is neither his or any other soldiers fault that they are commanded by politicians. For the most part people only formulate their opinion on a subject according to what they are told, generally by the government, what people need to do is get a balanced view and to do that i do suggest stopping and talking to firefighters. Then make your mind up. |
| Che, Stevenage | Friday 24 January, 2003 | | | Dick Richardson, the armed services are not the only ones with antiquated equipment the clansman radio they use is rubbish but compared to the appliance radios we run with they are brilliant. Ask this - out of those 40 applicants how many are actually suitable? I know an administration job that had 73 applicants does that mean they should drop the salary because obviously they are paying above the odds? And how many days do our troops sit in barracks doing nothing through the year? should they not be deducted a portion of their salary? of course not is the answer. Its not a criticism of the forces but if you want an immediate response to a fire at night (the time when you are most likely to die in a fire) then firefighters need to be on duty at a station, now i will stay up all night if you wish but at the end of the day we cannot go patrolling the streets for fires or knock on peoples doors giving advice at 2 in the morning. The 4 minutes extra it takes retained crews to turnout IS the difference between life and death. Please do not be under the illusion that we are any different to most fire services worldwide because we are not in fact many have been modelled on ours simply because it is the best and one of the most efficient. |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Friday 24 January, 2003 | | | Dick. You seem to have swallowed all the Government twadle re the Firefighters Dispute. To the relevant points you have raised. Of the 40 applicants that apply to join 35 dont make the grade either physically or mentally or educationally, and probably you wouldn`t either. As for sleeping on the Job as you put it. were the military sleeping at night prior to the Iraq affair waiting for war or were all 100.000 awake. they sleep or nap as we have done at night waiting for a Firecall and bearing that in mind they dont attend every call that normally gets dealt with by the National Fire Service. So they have plenty of time to sleep. |
| John, Luton | Thursday 23
January, 2003 | | | Rob White is not serving his country in Saudi, he is serving a small band of greedy politicians who are going against the will of the people and creating an atmosphere of international fear and retribution. The fireman on the other hand do actually serve the public, and serve them well. |
| John Smythe, UK | Thursday 23
January, 2003 | | | I have a few friends who are Paramedics, They all have said that it is impossible for firefghters to become Paramedics due to the training implications. It actually takes 2 1/2 to 3 years to become a Paramedic, to start you have to be an experienced Ambulance Technician, then if you pass the selection go on to Initial training, Then go and do training at the hospital for 12 weeks to learn Intubation and Drug administration and various other things. Then when you have passed all this you have to do approx 2 years on the job training before you become a full Paramedic. You then have to return for a refresher course every year to update and ensure you are still up to the job. They also said that having defibrillators is all very well, but they are not very effective without using the drugs that can only be administered by a Paramedic or Doctor. The cost of this training if we went down this route would be massive and would mean a large increase in staff to cover whilst the firefighters are doing this training, because you would have to have a minimum of 3 on a watch trained up to cover for leave, sickness etc, This would also have a severe impact on their Firefighter training. |
| Bill, Stevenage | Thursday 23
January, 2003 | | | To all Fire-fighters, I say forget public opinion. What right do we have to judge your decision to strike. The public doesn't have a clue about the skills or work involved in being a Fire-fighter. So how can we know what a Fire-fighters worth is. Most people won't have a clue about the logistics of protecting the community from fire, flood or any other disaster. They probably haven't read or understood the Bain review, but critisise you for not adopting it. And they certainly don’t appreciate what is at stake if the Government have their way. When Bain is enforced by the Government, and I have no doubt it will, rest assured these same people will be criticising you for taking so long to arrive in their time of need. You have my support, but you don’t need it. You know what is at stake. I have never needed your help, and I sincerely hope I never do. But, regardless of the outcome of the strike, I thank you for trying to protect the Fire Service. |
| Bill Stevenson, Stevenage | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | Nigel - You have your opinions and I respect that. But I would like to ask you two questions. 1) How much do you think a qualified Firefighter should earn. 2) Do you believe cutting the number of Firefighters, appliances and possibly Fire Stations would improve the level of service given to the community.. |
| Bill Stevenson, Stevenage | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | Just as a matter of interest I found this vacancy on the CACFOA website. HEREFORD AND WORCESTER FIRE BRIGADE PROJECT MANAGER (EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY) £29,559 - £31,737. How many fires, rescues and community visits will the successfull applicant attend. And will he be expected to work shifts or put his life on the line for the £29,559 - £31,737 salary?. |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | Sorry I had to break off. Nigel Why wont the Government discuss the Bain Review?? Why wont the Government allow the Pathfinder Report to be aired in public?? ANSWER it would prove beyond all doubt that the Government and MPs have LIED in the Commons and to the media, worst of all they have constantly LIED to the PUBLIC and FIREFIGHTERS. Sorry, but as the infamous 5 wont talk or budge then I have no option left, neither will I. |
| Dick Richardson, Aylesbury | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | The firefighters are already over-paid, or there would not be 40 applicants for every vacancy. It is not a very dangerous job, coming 26th in the league of dangerous jobs, with fishing at the top. Perhaps the seven and a half hours in bed, during each night "shift", are the attraction. The armed services, operating with very elderly equipment, and little experience, but adopting some of the Bain recommendations for co-ordinated control centres, demonstrate how far the firemen have to go to really be classed as professionals. |
| Graham, Cambridge | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | I think it's important for safety to use the money that was pledged by the employers to the fireman for more pressing needs, like stirring up a war in the middle east. After all, how can we argue that Mrs Tibbs down the road needing her house fire putting out is more important than smiting down people who don't agree with you??? At the end of the day it's all about safety and saving lives. |
| peter, Hemel Hempstead | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | Nigel Nice to hear from you again, still not lost your venom then, now it`s my turn. Following your reading of the reports, ask yourself and your local MP why the Government has put 19 section d`s on the pathfinder report, so that the media radio,tv and papers are not allowed to publcise it however no such problem arises from bain. To use your own words, and I QUOTE "The Bain Report may not be perfect, but it seems a much better Document to use as a basis for Discussions. As it`s not perfect why is the Government stating that the Bain review is not open to discussion and all parts of it are non negotiable and will be put in place. By cutting the service you will not be able to reach the Government targets of attendance, performance, and effeciency, which we do at present. By changing the Fire Services Act they will move the goal posts so that instead of attending in 5 mi! nu! tes they could say 20 or 30 minutes attendance time. After all they modernised the Police (oops sorry cut the police Service) and now they dont do anything about Burglary as this is classed as a minor crime ask anyone who has suffered it is not minor to them. |
| che, stevenage | Wednesday 22
January, 2003 | | | Its funny Nigel that you should dismiss the Pathfinder Report for repeating itself something Bain does anyway but perhaps you should consider the contradictions in Bain. He praises the Fire Service for being efficent and those within it for being corrageous then slams them for being inefficient and ineffective at change and 'modernisation' well if that is so why am i trained to use the resusitation equipment and defibrillator at my local fire station that he says we refuse to use? He suggests that Chief Officers reduce the medical requirements for Retained Firefighters then in the same section he says that the same higher medical entry requirements should should apply to all Firefighters. Then he goes on to say that Retained Firefighters should basically be on call on a shift basis where they must make every call during that rota period, then in the same section he concede! s that Chief Officers may keep the old system because it actually might work to their advantage. Either its wrong or its right! All Bain is doing is raking up ideas that are being used around the country already - if its applicable to one brigade then others may use it if it solves their particular problem. He says there will be equal training for the Retained yet most Retained members struggle to attend courses due to their primary job does he suggest compensation to the employer so they will allow their employees to attend vital training such as BA courses or Basic Recruit courses? No that section convieniently is left blank of suitable ideas. What he may like to see is Firefighters skill levels go down, that does not pave the way to keep the best Fire and Rescue Service in the world - one that is copied around the globe. Investment is what is required not cuts - the only reason we are able to use Defibs is because they were donated to us by Stevenage Borough Council and the British Heart Foundation. it is an item of kit we would of procured ourselves but for the cost. Or perhaps the fact we can only scratch the surface when it comes to Community Fire Safety is because the budget doesnt stretch to materials for schools and clubs. Even operationally we struggle to relay vital messages to our control room because the radio system is so old that parts are not made for it anymore and spares are cannabilised from old radios and when they do work you can't hear what is being said because the blue lights interfere with the signal! I am proud of the job i do and am trained to do everything because the next job i get could be anything. I have asked to be paid the equivalent value to those skills, for me to allow the Fire Service to be cut and ruined so that it can fund a pay increase that takes me to the level that the government themselves have put me then they are mistaken. In the long run the public will pay, twice in fact, if mr Bain has his way because through your Council Tax you will buy things like cutting gear and then through your insurance you will pay for its use. The police, Ambulance Service and Railways have all been 'Modernised' what a rosy future the Fire Service Has got! |
| Nigel, Luton | Wednesday 22 January, 2003 | | John Smythe, UK: I've read about two thirds of the Fire Cover Review (Pathfinder Report) and given up. It's the biggest load of drivel it has ever been my misfortune to pick up. It clearly has been produced by someone who has been given a time frame and budget and has made full use of both. If it didn't keep repeating itself, it could have been produced as a pamphlet. To praise it would tend to indicate that your interpretive skills are flawed, especially as the opening pages state that it considers only one option of many and suggests further investigation into the other options. The author evidently hopes that he can make a life-long career out of producing drivel and tweaking software to suit his own theories. I have previously said that I was surprised at how quickly the Bain Report was produced, but at least it is concise and contains the relevant data, as opposed to vague references to letters and reports which aren't available for inspection. The Bain Report may not be perfect, but it seems a much better document to use as a basis for discussions.
In "Firefighters - your questions answered," Patrick McArdle of Borehamwood Blue Watch has responded to some questions. Can he explain the cause of the damaged asphalt outside his Fire Station? Was the brazier positioned over an already-damaged area or were the firefighters merely acting unprofessionally by causing fire damage? Do the Borehamwood firefighters expect the local council tax payers to pay for the repairs?
Peter of Hemel: If you re-read the Pathfinder Report you will find that as well as saying that the Fire Service is 50% understaffed, it ALSO says that if the Fire Service were CUT by 50%, there would be no significant difference. If the FBU is basing its arguments on the Pathfinder Report, it is already on a loser. |
| Nigel, Luton | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | It seems that a lot of newcomers have entered the forum who haven't read through the explanations given in the previous pages. The firefighters aren't asking for £8.50 per hour as a wage - they are demanding £13.70 per hour. A qualified firefighter already gets between £9.83 and £10.53 per hour. The starting salary for a trainee is over £17k - not bad for a school leaver. The firefighters quote of £8.50 refers to take-home pay - after tax, NI etc. I won't dispute that a firefighter's disposable income probably seems quite low, but this is because pension contributions of 11% are deducted. This appears a lot, but when you consider that firefighters can retire at 50 (and must retire by 55), the extra 10-15 years of retirement pay has to be funded from somewhere. Their employers also contribute 22% of their salary so the current wage of a qualified firefighter is costing the council tax payer about £26k. The firefighters' pay demand of 40%, if fulfilled, would represent a cost for each of about £40k. Perhaps agreeing to £30k would be a good idea if employers pension contributions were halted. |
| Che, Stevenage | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | As one Minister said 'The deal is non negotiable' so how do they propose we negotiate a non negotiable deal? The sooner that the government get off their high horse the sooner we can meet somewhere in the middle and get a deal that is sensible, gives us a decent payrise and does away with the considerable faults and contradictions of Bain that are the real danger to the public.Bain did not use public safety and prevention of deaths as his benchmark to 'modernise' the fire service he used cost and cost alone, which meant he considered X deaths per thousand pound saved as acceptable which is fine until it is someone you know who is that expendable life. Ask yourself this question - How can fewer Firefighters, with fewer fire engines, in fewer fire stations give a better fire service? And how can government force brigades to provide that better fire service when they are currently removing the legal framework that requires them to perform to that standard - currently 5 minutes for the arrival of the first fire appliance (section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947). |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | Bernard Jenkin tory MP (moronic person) called us irresponsible, I think it irresponsible that they have made no attempt at solving the issue, and as for the tory calling us stupid and shameful, The major payrise to the MPs is irresponsible and shameful as they do absolutely zip for anyone, and class us the PUBLIC as stupid for allowing them to get away with it. |
| Lee Bradbury, MK | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | Peter, You've just discovered what I have known for many years, our Members of Parliment are just plain useless. Their's is the only job that I know of that you can lie your backside off, get caught and nothing happens to you! If I lied to the extent that MPs lie I would have been kicked out of every job I've ever had. Unfortunatly nothing is going to happen because each MP is as bad as the next; they are an untrustworthy bunch of 'people'. |
| Ian Sayers, Hemel Hempstead | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | We hear a lot about the levels of pay, time off etc. I would be interested to know what the pension arrangements are for firemen? According to the TUC's own pension calculator recently released, in order for me to retire on 2/3rds final salary I will have to contribute about 20-25% of my salary from now until I am 65 to achieve this in my money purchase scheme. My employer contributes 5% of this, so I have to shell out the remaining 15%-20%. If, as I suspect, the fireman have a guaranteed final salary scheme (which probably permits them to retire earlier than 65) should this not be factored into what they are paid. I believe anyone with a good final salary scheme can effectively up their "real" salary by at least 15%, probably more looking at the stock market currently. |
| Trevor S, Letchworth | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | The government wants the Fire & Rescue Services to modernise before they will even consider the small rises that they are proposing. What modernisations of Westminster did we see for the 48% pay rise that MPs gave themselves? I'm sure that there would be more people wanting to become Fire Fighters, Nurses, Paramedics and Police Officers if they were assured a decent wage. It is time that we stopped trying to be the major league global player that the government would want us to be and look within our borders. Spend more of our tax pounds on the tax payers. Good luck to the Fire Fighters, let us hope that it doesn't take a major disaster to open the eyes of Blair, Prescott & Co. |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Tuesday 21 January, 2003 | | | After listening to Prescott in parliament, in response to the Strike, I am now certain that the Infamous Five together with most of the MP`s are totally INCOMPETENT and unable to comprehend the seriousness of this dispute. To put it bluntly they have made no attempt to read the Pathfinder report, which has run over 3 years and covered several Brigades, looking at the future role of the Fire Service as a whole. Some of the points raised were that the National Fire Service was 50% understaffed and that Retained Stations should become full time. Instead the mindless morons are sticking to an Economists view (bain) of the Fire Service as a Business, CUT CUT AND CUT AGAIN. When it all goes wrong they can blame the Firefighters for not meeting the targets set out by bain. Inept ministers are to blame for any fault that may arise. |
| Daniel, Bedfordshire | Sunday 19 January, 2003 | | | i think its terrible that the firefighters have to strike just to get some extra few pounds the goverment should think them selfs lucky that they are only asking a few pounds and not 10 or 15 pounds.the goverment should sit down and think about the firefighters putting thier own life at risk just to help stupid and careless people its disgusting they have to ask they should of been offered. |
| Paul, Dunstable | Sat 18 January, 2003 | | | Is this a Rob and Jim fight, I thought it was to do with Firefighters.. I drive for a living and get 8.50 an hour I don't think that the fbu is asking to much for firefighters to get 8.50 do you??? |
| Janey, Hitchin, Herts | Sat 18 January, 2003 | | | This is all very sad. I have so much sympathy for the people who protect us, whether in the Armed Services, the Police or the Fire Brigade. All, at some time or other, risk life and limb but it seems that the firefighters are not being recognised for THEIR commitment in what are invariably (apart from the proverbial cat stuck up the tree) gruelling and/or dangerous circumstances. 4% is a gross insult. This wretched government has wasted millions of pounds in lost causes and proposes to waste millions more in a war which will do nothing to enhance or protect life. Quite the contrary. |
| Peter, Hemel Hempstead | Fri 17 January, 2003 | | | Chad So you think I am SELFISH for asking for a pay rise and putting lives at risk. WE put our lives on the line sometimes to save people like you, when according to the Government we are not even classed as an essential service. As for knowing what the service entailed, yes I did, as did the Nurses and Doctors. And yes they do deserve a pay rise, but even the Doctors turned down a substantial payrise which was being forced on them,because it was linked to even longer working hours and weekend work. Blair and his theiving cronies made sure they got their grubby mits on 40% before everything kicked off. The National Fire Service called off the Strikes before Christmas for Talks (as per Prescotts plea talk dont walk) the FBU have been at the talks since then However the Government Dept. couldn`t be bothered to walk or take the Jaguar to the talks at ACAS.As for reynsford stating that we were going on strike before the talks had started is a load of bull. They have known that the Strike was due to start on the 21st Jan yet they have not made any attempt to talk to the FBU until the 20th Jan. The DOPEY FIVE have shown no Commitment to resolving this dispute,as they don`t give a damn. |
| Lee Bradbury, CMK | Friday 17
January, 2003 | | | Chad, you say the Firefighters are being selfish. Do you think they are selfish when they risk their lives to save people who, normally through their own stupidity or carelesness, are in need of urgent assistance? You ask what would happen if airlines, transport and other companies did the same thing; well I haven't met any transport service whose members risk life and limb to help people in distress but I've seen the Postal Union strike for long periods when one of their members has been suspended for gross misconduct, I've seen train drivers strike for more money, I've seen teachers strike for more money and if I put my mind to it I suppose I could find a few more 'firms' who have gone on strike for more money. |
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