Firefighters Protest Funding Cuts in George Square Glasgow
- 8 months ago
Firefighters protest proposed funding cuts.
Firefighters and police officers from across Scotland have held protests over funding cuts and stalled pay talks.
In Glasgow, about 400 firefighters gathered to warn £36m of fire service budget cuts could endanger lives.
In Edinburgh, off-duty officers protested outside a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) to call for a "justifiable" pay rise of 8.5%.
Senior fire and police officers have said both services are facing a challenging financial situation.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service points out it has a legal obligation to deliver a balanced budget and says it has to find £36m of savings over the next four years.
Proposals include reducing its overtime bill, changes to the crewing of water rescues and removing second or third fire engines from a string of stations across the country.
The total number of high reach appliances, which can operate at height with an extendable ladder, will drop from 26 to 14 under the savings plans.
John McKenzie, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) regional secretary for Scotland, told BBC Scotland News: "If you cut budgets then the number of firefighters goes down, response times go up and that has a direct impact on the public.
"Worse case scenario it ultimately means lives will be lost that will have otherwise not been lost because of the delays in attending.
"Our members are here because they are really angry about the cuts that have taken place in the last decade, and the cuts that have been outlined to take place in the next four years."
Mr McKenzie added: "The Scottish government have an opportunity to listen to their concerns. They can show that in their budget in December.
"If they fail to do that, they will leave our members with no other option but to consider industrial action, and that industrial action will be up to and including strike action."
Stuart Stevens, deputy chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Like all public services, we are operating in a challenging financial period and require to save at least £36m across the next four years.
"In addressing our financial challenges, we also must modernise as a service to ensure we are best placed to meet the changing risk and demand we face across Scotland.
"We will continue to work in partnership with the FBU and other representative bodies around any impact of potential savings that the service may have to consider".
Firefighters and police officers from across Scotland have held protests over funding cuts and stalled pay talks.
In Glasgow, about 400 firefighters gathered to warn £36m of fire service budget cuts could endanger lives.
In Edinburgh, off-duty officers protested outside a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) to call for a "justifiable" pay rise of 8.5%.
Senior fire and police officers have said both services are facing a challenging financial situation.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service points out it has a legal obligation to deliver a balanced budget and says it has to find £36m of savings over the next four years.
Proposals include reducing its overtime bill, changes to the crewing of water rescues and removing second or third fire engines from a string of stations across the country.
The total number of high reach appliances, which can operate at height with an extendable ladder, will drop from 26 to 14 under the savings plans.
John McKenzie, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) regional secretary for Scotland, told BBC Scotland News: "If you cut budgets then the number of firefighters goes down, response times go up and that has a direct impact on the public.
"Worse case scenario it ultimately means lives will be lost that will have otherwise not been lost because of the delays in attending.
"Our members are here because they are really angry about the cuts that have taken place in the last decade, and the cuts that have been outlined to take place in the next four years."
Mr McKenzie added: "The Scottish government have an opportunity to listen to their concerns. They can show that in their budget in December.
"If they fail to do that, they will leave our members with no other option but to consider industrial action, and that industrial action will be up to and including strike action."
Stuart Stevens, deputy chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Like all public services, we are operating in a challenging financial period and require to save at least £36m across the next four years.
"In addressing our financial challenges, we also must modernise as a service to ensure we are best placed to meet the changing risk and demand we face across Scotland.
"We will continue to work in partnership with the FBU and other representative bodies around any impact of potential savings that the service may have to consider".