The long-running industrial dispute between firefighters and managers at Essex Fire and Rescue has been brought to an end following months of detailed negotiations.
Fire crews had been at loggerheads with their management over plans to cut the number of full-time fire crews stationed at Brentwood and Canvey, as the fire service seeks to cut £10 million from its operating budget.
Keith Handscomb, an excutive member of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "This has been a very bitter and the longest running dispute in fire service history. "Negotiators from both sides deserve credit for overcoming deeply held differences to negotiate the compromise terms needed to settle the dispute and to lay the foundations for rebuilding industrial relations.
"The challenges ahead are huge as the fire and rescue service faces the most severe cuts ever in central government funding.
"The union and frontline firefighters in Essex continue to hold serious concerns over the reduction of the wholetime fire crews at Canvey Island and Brentwood and as a consequence the speed and weight of 999 response to emergencies.
"But, the negotiated settlement includes written assurances from the Chief Fire Officer to maintain the overall numbers of wholetime firefighters across Essex up to March 2015 and beyond, subject to central government funding being no worse than already projected.
"The settlement also includes new terms and allowances underpinned by agreements on a detailed framework for improving industrial relations going forward. It's early days but, bit by bit, relations are starting to get better and so it is now up to both sides to take this opportunity to work together in facing the considerable challenges that lie ahead."
Chief Fire Officer David Johnson said that while both parties would acknowledge there remain differences, it was time to draw a line under the past and look forward.
He said: "The service will face significant financial challenges over the next couple of years and it is important for us all to focus our energies on the future and learn to work together once again to achieve the best possible outcome for Essex.
"The changes that have successfully been introduced over the last four years have put us in a good position. We have delivered change at Canvey, we will be using new crewing arrangements to introduce a retained crew into Brentwood and continue to look at innovative ways of working that will help us to maintain the availability of fire engines on the front line.
"We still have to face the financial realities of the final two years of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, so it is important for the Service to work closely with all of its representative bodies to deliver those projects that secure the future of the Service, its staff and the communities we need to keep safe."
Fire crews had been at loggerheads with their management over plans to cut the number of full-time fire crews stationed at Brentwood and Canvey, as the fire service seeks to cut £10 million from its operating budget.
Keith Handscomb, an excutive member of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "This has been a very bitter and the longest running dispute in fire service history. "Negotiators from both sides deserve credit for overcoming deeply held differences to negotiate the compromise terms needed to settle the dispute and to lay the foundations for rebuilding industrial relations.
"The challenges ahead are huge as the fire and rescue service faces the most severe cuts ever in central government funding.
"The union and frontline firefighters in Essex continue to hold serious concerns over the reduction of the wholetime fire crews at Canvey Island and Brentwood and as a consequence the speed and weight of 999 response to emergencies.
"But, the negotiated settlement includes written assurances from the Chief Fire Officer to maintain the overall numbers of wholetime firefighters across Essex up to March 2015 and beyond, subject to central government funding being no worse than already projected.
"The settlement also includes new terms and allowances underpinned by agreements on a detailed framework for improving industrial relations going forward. It's early days but, bit by bit, relations are starting to get better and so it is now up to both sides to take this opportunity to work together in facing the considerable challenges that lie ahead."
Chief Fire Officer David Johnson said that while both parties would acknowledge there remain differences, it was time to draw a line under the past and look forward.
He said: "The service will face significant financial challenges over the next couple of years and it is important for us all to focus our energies on the future and learn to work together once again to achieve the best possible outcome for Essex.
"The changes that have successfully been introduced over the last four years have put us in a good position. We have delivered change at Canvey, we will be using new crewing arrangements to introduce a retained crew into Brentwood and continue to look at innovative ways of working that will help us to maintain the availability of fire engines on the front line.
"We still have to face the financial realities of the final two years of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, so it is important for the Service to work closely with all of its representative bodies to deliver those projects that secure the future of the Service, its staff and the communities we need to keep safe."