ESSEX firefighters are set to strike for 24 hours later this month in a continuing dispute over pensions.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union are set to stop work between 9am next Thursday to 9am Friday – the longest strike period in the three-year dispute over rising pension payments.
In a statement, the union said that "between the two strikes firefighters will not carry out any voluntary overtime — which is routinely needed by many fire and rescue services to maintain fire cover — or conduct training of strikebreakers".
Speaking about the reasons before the strike, the union said that before 2010, firefighters already contributed "one of the highest proportions of their salary towards their pensions (11 per cent), and in April this increased for the third year running".
Now, it said that firefighters pay over £4,000 a year from a £29,000 salary, with increases inspected by 2015.
The union also highlighted concerns that firefighters who are forced to retire before the age of 60 will have half their pensions taken away.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "It is as ever a difficult decision for us to take strike action, but the only way for us to resolve this unnecessary and costly dispute is for the government to start listening to reason."
Another strike has also been announced for Saturday, June 21 between 10am-5pm.
The two strikes will be the 13th and 14th over pensions since September last year.
