In the On this Day Series our volunteer, Retired Firefighter/Heritage Officer, Dave Farries QFSM, highlights important days in fire history.
16 January 1978 the National Firefighter’s Strike ended
Following a long nine weeks the first National Fireman’s Strike came to an end today when Firefighters returned to work. Little did they know when they finished shift on the morning of the 14th of November the previous year that they would be out as long.
The industrial action had seen the use of the Government’s reserve Green Goddess fire engines, crewed by Naval, Army and RAF personnel, attempting to fill the gap left by the striking firefighters.
Whilst returning personnel may not have felt they had been well treated by the in power Labour government, the strike led to a Pay Formula that ensured pay harmony for a good few years and a reduction in working hours.
Question for Dave: Why were some of the firefighters were not happy with the 1978 settlement?
Dave’s response: I have to first set the scene by telling you that we had been involved in Industrial Action for the couple of years before the strike. Everything from ‘work to rule’, ’emergency calls only’ to ‘ essential duties only’, none of which achieved the desired result. Union Officials kept telling us this was the way to go but we were getting frustrated with the lack of anything happening. Eventually this led to a membership led strike and the Union Officials had to reluctantly lead us.
Now why you may ask were the Officials so reluctant. The answer lies with the strongly union supported Labour government and they saw it, I believe, as being against their allies.
Indeed the General Secretary at the time, Terry Parry, was reportedly heard to say to a gathering of both sides once the strike had been announced ‘ I-told them not to do it’.
Anyway after nine weeks we went back, some reluctantly, to what some saw as a sell out. We had gone out full of fire and determination and went back to what we thought was the best we were liable to get with the promise of ‘jam tomorrow’.
Personally I think our Union Officials sold us out because it was a Labour government. It’s true to say that when agreed the Government didn’t think we would end up with the money we did in the years to come and indeed when the time period was up and renegotiation came they refused to carry the Formula forward.
Hence the reason why I’ve never trusted a Labour government since, though to be fair the Tories aren’t any better, as they proved on numerous occasions.