Firefighters dispute hottens up with new allegations from New Zealand

NZ letter fuels the flames of fire dispute

Sep 11 2006

By Jessica Shaughnessy Daily Post Staff


Merseyside Fire Brigade chief Tony McGuirk

A LETTER from New Zealand claiming Merseyside chief fire officer Tony McGuirk plans to undermine the union has added further fuel to the dispute.

The fire service hotly denies the allegation that Mr McGuirk is engaged in a battle with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for "the hearts and minds" of Merseyside's firefighters.

In a letter to union solicitors, the national secretary of the New Zealand Firefighters Union, Derek Best, describes a meeting with Mr McGuirk around a year ago.

* Mr McGuirk revealed the fire service was paying legal fees for a number of firefighters who are taking the union to a tribunal after being expelled.

* That he had spoken of "enticing" firefighters away from the FBU with a "smirk on his face".

* The chief fire officer said the FBU was "living in the past", "out of touch with its membership" and had a "cloth cap mentality".

Mr Best wrote: "Mr McGuirk made it clear he was engaged in a battle with the FBU for the hearts and minds of Merseyside firefighters."

Mr Best claims that Mr McGuirk spoke about a number of firefighters who are taking legal action against the union.

They were expelled from the FBU after agreeing to become part of the service's new co-responding team.

Mr Best continued: "Mr McGuirk said he had already enticed a number of firefighters away from the FBU by getting those firefighters to become new elite teams.


"Mr McGuirk said although firefighters undertaking such work was against FBU policy, he was not concerned about this and he would be supporting those firefighters totally.

"Mr McGuirk further stated that this assistance went to the extent of funding those persons' legal costs."

He added: "Mr McGuirk further indicated this was simply part of his overplan to marginalise the FBU and to attack and undermine the authority of the FBU and its local officials."

Les Skarratts, secretary of the Merseyside FBU branch, said: "This is unbelievable. It shows what we have said all along, that the chief is trying to marginalise the union."

But the chairman of the authority, Cllr Tony Newman said the allegations were "inaccurate".

In a letter to the FBU, Cllr Newman said: "I do not believe the chief fire officer would ever refer to colleagues having a 'cloth cap mentality' in the manner described by Mr Best."


On the issue of the firefighters' legal action against the FBU, Cllr Newman added: "I can confirm that this action is private action, and therefore your allegations of support for these expelled members, extending beyond the professional and personal support by the chief fire officer, and the unanimous political support of the Authority, are therefore unfounded.

"Turning now to your suggestion that the chief fire officer has embarked upon what you term a confrontational strategy, I disagree.

"CFO McGuirk is now the fifth chief fire officer in Merseyside against whom this allegation has been made, with each successive chief fire officer being apparently even more committed to confrontation than his predecessor."

A spokesman for the fire service last night said the allegations were trouble-causing and a diversionary tactic by the union.

jessicashaughnessy@dailypost.co.uk


REMEMBER YOU MAY NEED A FIREFIGHTER ONE DAY SUPPORT THEIR STRIKE IT IS NOT FOR MONEY THAT THEY STRIKE BUT TO PREVENT CUTS THAT WOULD MEAN LESS FIREFIGHTERS TO SAVE YOUR LIFE OR THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN!