by Andy Gilchrist
The fire dispute isn't just about pay. It's also about union rights.
For only the second time in their union's 84-year history, firefighters are taking national industrial action. Our members have tried all year to impress on both their employers and the government their resolve to achieve pay justice. The employers appeared to be listening. But as soon as central government made clear that no extra funding would be available for a negotiated settlement, councillors handed their responsibilities over to John Prescott, who in turn passed the baton to Sir George Bain, the government's fire service review chairman. Bain's intervention has been a thoroughly destructive one.
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