Labour conference agrees motion to fight cladding scandal
The Labour Party has backed action in relation to the building safety crisis that has arisen since Grenfell, calling for ‘sustained investment’ in public services that could help resolve the crisis and prevent it continuing in new buildings. The party…
Firefighters win landmark Covid discrimination case against fire and rescue service
Firefighters have won a discrimination case against a fire and rescue service, having successfully argued that forcing firefighters with disabilities to use annual leave or TOIL when shielding amounted to discrimination. The case is thought to be the first where…
Firefighter union leader tells MPs that ‘governments for decades’ at fault on fire safety
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has told a cross-party committee of MPs that ‘governments for decades’ have been responsible for reducing emphasis on fire safety, in a session on post-Grenfell building rule changes yesterday. He said there had…
Firefighters sound alarm over UN climate report
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the UN’s latest major report into climate change, which was published yesterday. He said that: ‘Firefighters here and across the world are on the front line of the climate crisis. We…
FBU fears underreporting of Covid infections in the fire service as minister fails to provide data
The government has failed to provide details of the number of Covid deaths and cases reported by employers in the fire service, after being asked to do so in a Parliamentary Question and through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request…
Firefighters identify deadly private sector inspection threat in Building Safety Bill
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the Building Safety Bill passing its second reading in Parliament on 21 July by saying that it is ‘vitally flawed’ in its present form. The bill is set to see…
Gillender Street fire 30th anniversary calls for safety advances to be preserved
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has spoken out on the 30th anniversary of the Gillender Street fire in Tower Hamlets, London. Two firefighters died in the fire after running out of air. Wrack has personal links to the…
40th anniversary of New Cross fire: Fire Brigades Union comment
On the 40th anniversary of a fire during a house party in New Cross, South East London, that killed 13 young black people, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called the incident a ‘tragedy’ that takes on new relevance in…
Urgent action needed to protect firefighters from risk of getting cancer, scientists find
Ground-breaking research has revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The…
Public sector pay: firefighters won’t stand for “divide and rule” tactics from government
Responding to leaked reports of government plans to freeze public sector pay, Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “We warned ministers in the summer that clapping key workers would not pay the bills – but it seems in government memories…