The Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) has announced that its members have voted by 78 per cent for strike action over a pensions' dispute with government.
At this stage the Union has not announced whether it will act on this mandate or when any industrial action will take place. However, the Union must announce when any action will take place within 28 days or the mandate will expire. If a strike is to take place, at least seven days' notice of any action must be given.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service's Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Dene Sanders, said: "I fully appreciate the concerns the Union has over the proposed changes to pensions and hope that it is able to come to a satisfactory agreement through further discussions with government. However, the safety of our communities must come first and I am disappointed that members of the Union have chosen to take this route.
"We have robust plans in place to continue to provide an emergency response service however this will be at a much reduced level to what our communities have come to expect. This will be a challenging time for us but we feel confident in our plans and remain focused on the period post-action and managing the smooth return to normality," DCO Sanders added.
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