benview7

Surely They cannot be serious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is not the rank & File Firemen that want this showdown it is the Union, They dont care about you or me. I have just passed my Fire Station and all the Fire engines are outside and have been blocked in by trailers and caravans etc to stop the troops from getting them Confrontation to-morrow between the Troops and the Firemen????

They have NO right to do this and it is Illeagl I have heard rumours Unsubstanciated I may add that certain Firemen have been taking out the Keys for the engines and hiding them!!!

I am positive that these kind of actions can only lead to a Loss of public support. They need to sit down and talk not take these stupid actions.

SiDHEaD

bloody hell thats rediculous.

That's gone beyond being ***** tryin to demand their own way to just trying to make sure as many people die as possible.

At least if the army could use those trucks they might stand a chance of saving a few more lives and also property. The green goddesses dont really get there in time to do much but get some people out, all else is lost.

Surely no-one can possibly support them now. Utterly stupid. I hope the caravan owners' houses burn to the ground!

SiDHEaD

they can live in the fcukin caravan then

zoog

Police and doctors and soldiers cannot strike, and would not anyway due to professional ethics. Why do these gits think they can have pay parity and professional status, yet act like this?

SiDHEaD

Surely they can be towed off by the police - causing an obstruction to emergency vehicles.

Failing that, fire engines are stronger than caravans

DEEDEE

The few times I have been on strike, you are not allowed on company property. So how can they sit in the station wearing their uniforms. These people are paid by us, the public, the stations are paid for by us, the uniforms paid for by us. We pay for the service out of our TAXES. So I make it the TAX payers own the stations, uniforms, engines. The old saying is (you know what to do if your not happy) let someone else do the job, move on.

RON

The strike doesn't even start til 9am, what if they get a shout b4 then????? they'll be moving all the crap to get the wagons out.

Luke

I'm ready to help storm te fire stations should the ******* start saying the army cant use OUR equipment. "Super Soaker" full of "essence of Squid" that will clear them out..

"Public stand for your rights"

mark_h

Think they're underestimating the public support they have.

Shark

Was the Times wrong when they stated that fire fighters work for 150 days a year? As I remember they work 183 days a year + holidays, so that comes to 150 days a year

I work 240 days a year for 18k.

I want to be a fire fighter please !

David

Shark

Did I forget to add they respond to 999 calls for 10% of their time ? (I will stand corrected if the Times is talking bollocks, and I do know statistics can be made to say anything – but are these stats true?)

Firemen - wake up and smell the coffee please [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

David

Shark

mark_h

Where is that pole?

David

mark_h

Have a look on BBC News Online. Sometimes it pops up on the front page instead.

boomer

As well as critisising the firemen, don't forget to also have a dig at the car insurance companies that you pay many hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds a year for them to do absolutely nothing (er, that is unless you have a claim!). I bet your premiums have gone up well over the increases in firefighters pay as well!!!

How about starting to value the things that really matter!!!

mb

planky

Its one on of the cushiest emergency jobs around thats why theres hundreds of people going for every single(1)job up for grabs in the fire service and them numbers was well before they wanted a pay rise..makes you think why people what to join if the pays crap,i dont think its anything to do with being a hero

[Edited by planky - 11/21/2002 10:49:48 PM]

RON

I applied to go wholetime( I was retained at the time) here in Dorset, 7 posts were available, there wer well over a thousand applicants, thats gotta say somethin, don't poo poo the figures, I know its fact, I had contacts!!!

Zagangaphile

What I don't get is how the army can refuse to cross the picket lines. Surely if the Govt, via the queen says 'go and do this' the arrmy has no choice in the matter. They are happy(ish) to go kill a few Iraqi's but not cross over a picket line

If firemen are so scary the army won't go up against them, maybe we should send the firemen to Iraq?

One simple way to resolve the strike, would be to use the Army to force the firemen to hand over the equipment. Who would win. Challenger 2 Vs Caravan. Let me think... A few warning shots would soon remind the firemen where they 'lost' the keys to fire engines. Why use the army if your're not going to use them as the army.

Sacking the firemen would also be a valid approach. Remember, these people ultimatley work for the government and if required they can say 'If you want to keep your job come back to work, if not go be a painter and decorator full time'

Either the government has the guts to force a resolution or it does'nt.

AnDy_PaNdY

SACK THE STRIKERS.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Fireman pay tax aswell so they are just as entightled to this equipment as we are , except we are not entightled to this equipment, it is like police cars are owned by the tax payer but you try taking a police car out for a spin, saying that so is a Challenger tank but I bet the army won't let you have one of those either

So if the fireman are payed for by our tax money and the firemans wages are being taxed then the government is taxing the tax money, not a bad way to get extra cash.

banshi

Well I know my premium didn't rise by 40% m8. I
n fact last couple of years I didn't even get an alternative quote cos it only changed by a few quid.

Put it down to low inflation (or maybe the fact I'm a slow old git)


Nice concept Wurzel, let 'em have 16% no strings.

Then tax the benifits in kind:
Free bedroom, kitchen, lounge & TV.
Free snooker, volleyball & table tennis.
Free Tee Shirts, jumpers trousers and shoes.
Subsidised bar, free admission to nightclubs

Taff107

Zagangaphile, the Army have only stated that they would prefer not to antagonise the situation by doing so. Believe me, if they were told to do it, there would be no hesitation. At the end of the day, the Fire-tenders are public/government property, not the Firefighters. Reminds me of a small child - "you can't play with our toys". What are they afraid of? Perhaps the public would see that (more) lives could be saved, reducing the Firefighters argument?
Oh and I like the idea of of the supersoakers too - Essence of Squid ?

Dave P

Shark 356 days in a year, they work 2 days 2 nights then get 4 days off and have 30 days holiday...

so 356/2-30 = 148. And half of those 148 they are on night watch so that means they work 74 days and spend 74 nights on call... possible sleeping. Not a bad deal really.

Boomer that is the whole point of insurance you share the risk with thousands of others. And for what it's worth car insurance is something of a loss leader for the insurance companies.

Zagangaphile the army haven't refused but their head of staff has recommended against it. Moral is at a low in the army and navy because they may be going to war to die (whether the war is a worthwhile one is a different matter) and here they are covering for these greedy firemen instead of doing the training that may just save their lives.

Dave

Dave P

My wife's dad was a fireman until about 6 weeks ago. He was able to retire on full final salary pension at 55 having been in a secure job all his life with no risk of redundancy.

In my industry at the moment, banking, thousands are losing their jobs in the run up to Christmas.

As Mr Lewis so rightly says supply and demand. There was demand for banking so the salaries shot up now there is no demand so people are getting canned.

The footbal argument was trash... you only have to look at what's happening in the lower divisions already. The recession there has begun.

I cannot beleive the basic lack of economic knowledge that seems to be coming out in some of these posts. It really does prove that Scooby ownership has moved down a peg now they are more affordable.


Dave

Trucker Ted

There frightened the soldiers will do a better job than them.When you see the fire fighters on tv a lot of them are unfit or a bit on the old side,the soldiers have more discipline,better fitness and would run rings round them.They've had it too cushy too long.

And the poor soldiers only earn half what the firefighters do.I'll bet they would jump at the chance for a job like theirs.

AnDy_PaNdY

Makes you wonder if we need a seperate fire service with the army doing such a valiant job.


SACK THE STRIKERS.