28 May 2004
The Fire Brigades Union is to recommend to its members a 'new form of words' provided by the employers in a bid to break the deadlock over conditions.
Following 'constant contact' between the two sides this week, the FBU said it would consult its members and recommend accepting a new form of wording on stand-down time from employers.
Employers have come up with something of a compromise on the issue after the FBU refused to agree to firefighters taking on extra responsibilities during the hours of midnight and 7am.
The FBU said its members should be free to rest during these hours. The wording states that firefighters will be entitled to rest periods except when answering emergencies or performing tasks dictated by brigades' integrated risk management plans.
The FBU said the new wording was a 'positive response' to its own proposals and both sides were said to be encouraged.
The union's executive is due to meet on June 2 to consider its members' response.
PFmay2004
