Fire Brigades Union
Encyclopedia
The Fire Brigades Union is a trade union in the United Kingdom
for wholetime Firefighter
s (including Officers up to Chief Fire Officer/Firemaster), Retained Duty System (RDS – part time) and Emergency Control Room staff. It has around 44,000 members, and represents the majority of uniformed fire brigade staff in the United Kingdom.
recruited several London County Council
firemen in early 1905, which by the end of the following year had grown to a branch of 500.
After the entire branch had transferred to the rival National Union of Corporation Workers (NUCW), the branch grew to 1,100 of the 1,300 London firemen and to protect the then branch secretary from potential dismissal, sub-officer E. W. Southgate handed over branch secretaryship to Jim Bradley
, a London park-keeper who had been nominated by the union's executive.
Following the strike of police officers on 29th August 1918, Bradley organised a secret ballot of firemen on the issue of strike action over pay and conditions. After winning the right to a representative board for London firemen, the fire brigade branch of NUCW seceded from the union to join the Firemen's Trade Union, what had been a friendly society for around 200 firemen in private brigades led by George Gamble, with Bradley becoming assistant secretary.
In 1930, the union changed its name to the Fire Brigades Union.
(AFS) far outnumbered the around 6,000 full time regulars. AFS firefighters were on worse conditions, with regular firemen promoted to be their officers. The war emergency also saw the re-instatement of continuous duty service, which was dropped after a week in favour of a 112 hour week.
The question of the AFS transformed the union, the incumbent leadership, headed by General Secretary Percy Kingdom, held that the AFS were dilutees and therefore should be marginalised. This view was challenged by John Horner and other young firemen and over the course of a protracted dispute which saw all the union's full time officials resign, Horner was elected General Secretary. Horner then began organising auxiliaries, winning endorsement of this at the 1940 conference of the regular section of the union and saw the union's membership increase from 3,500 in 1939 to 66,500 in 1940.
As a result of the London Blitz, the fire service was nationalised in 1941 by the powers of the Fire Services (Emergency Provisions) Bill.
over pay and conditions in 2002 following an independent review of pay carried out by the same organisation that reviewed MP's pay. The strike did not achieve its goals and on May 5, 2005, a leftwing candidate, Matt Wrack
, defeated Gilchrist in the election for General Secretary, attaining 63.9% of the vote cast (12,883 votes) on a total turnout of about 40% of the membership.
The FBU disaffiliated from the Labour Party
in 2004 and calls for reaffiliation have been repeatedly defeated.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for wholetime Firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s (including Officers up to Chief Fire Officer/Firemaster), Retained Duty System (RDS – part time) and Emergency Control Room staff. It has around 44,000 members, and represents the majority of uniformed fire brigade staff in the United Kingdom.
Foundation
The first recorded instance of trade union organisation of firefighters was when the Municipal Employees' AssociationMunicipal Employees' Association
The Municipal Employees' Association was a British trade union.Founded in 1894 as the London County Council Employees' Protection Association to represent the newly formed London County Council's workers, the union was initially led by William Anderson...
recruited several London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
firemen in early 1905, which by the end of the following year had grown to a branch of 500.
After the entire branch had transferred to the rival National Union of Corporation Workers (NUCW), the branch grew to 1,100 of the 1,300 London firemen and to protect the then branch secretary from potential dismissal, sub-officer E. W. Southgate handed over branch secretaryship to Jim Bradley
Jim Bradley (trade unionist)
James Joseph William Bradley was a trade unionist and General Secretary of the Fireman's Trade Union in the United Kingdom.Bradley was the son of an engineer and station officer in London Fire Brigade...
, a London park-keeper who had been nominated by the union's executive.
Following the strike of police officers on 29th August 1918, Bradley organised a secret ballot of firemen on the issue of strike action over pay and conditions. After winning the right to a representative board for London firemen, the fire brigade branch of NUCW seceded from the union to join the Firemen's Trade Union, what had been a friendly society for around 200 firemen in private brigades led by George Gamble, with Bradley becoming assistant secretary.
In 1930, the union changed its name to the Fire Brigades Union.
Second World War
The Air Raid Precautions Act (1937) contained provisions for recruiting a volunteer force of auxiliaries to supplement existing fire brigades, which were called up on 1 September 1939. The 95,000 called up (89,000 men, 6,00 women) formed the Auxiliary Fire ServiceAuxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of Civil Defence Air raid precautions. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. In this job it was hampered severely by the incompatibility of equipment used by these different brigades - most...
(AFS) far outnumbered the around 6,000 full time regulars. AFS firefighters were on worse conditions, with regular firemen promoted to be their officers. The war emergency also saw the re-instatement of continuous duty service, which was dropped after a week in favour of a 112 hour week.
The question of the AFS transformed the union, the incumbent leadership, headed by General Secretary Percy Kingdom, held that the AFS were dilutees and therefore should be marginalised. This view was challenged by John Horner and other young firemen and over the course of a protracted dispute which saw all the union's full time officials resign, Horner was elected General Secretary. Horner then began organising auxiliaries, winning endorsement of this at the 1940 conference of the regular section of the union and saw the union's membership increase from 3,500 in 1939 to 66,500 in 1940.
As a result of the London Blitz, the fire service was nationalised in 1941 by the powers of the Fire Services (Emergency Provisions) Bill.
2002/03 Dispute
Led by its then General Secretary Andy Gilchrist, the union called a strikeUK Firefighter dispute 2002/2003
The 2002-2003 UK firefighter dispute began when the UK firefighters union, the Fire Brigades Union , voted to take strike action in an attempt to secure a better salary...
over pay and conditions in 2002 following an independent review of pay carried out by the same organisation that reviewed MP's pay. The strike did not achieve its goals and on May 5, 2005, a leftwing candidate, Matt Wrack
Matt Wrack
Matt Wrack is a British firefighter and trade unionist. He was elected General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in May 2005.Matt Wrack was born Matthew D Wrack in Manchester on 23 May 1962...
, defeated Gilchrist in the election for General Secretary, attaining 63.9% of the vote cast (12,883 votes) on a total turnout of about 40% of the membership.
The FBU disaffiliated from the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in 2004 and calls for reaffiliation have been repeatedly defeated.
General Secretaries
- 1918 – 1922 George Gamble
- 1922 – 1929 Jim BradleyJim Bradley (trade unionist)James Joseph William Bradley was a trade unionist and General Secretary of the Fireman's Trade Union in the United Kingdom.Bradley was the son of an engineer and station officer in London Fire Brigade...
- 1929 – 1939 Percy Kingdom
- 1939 – 1964 John Horner
- 1964 – 1980 Terry Parry
- 1980 – 2000 Ken Cameron
- 2000 – 2005 Andy Gilchrist
- 2005 – to date Matt WrackMatt WrackMatt Wrack is a British firefighter and trade unionist. He was elected General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in May 2005.Matt Wrack was born Matthew D Wrack in Manchester on 23 May 1962...
Presidents
- 1939 – 1944 Gus Odlin
- 1944 – 1959 J. Burns
- 1959 – 1964 Terry Parry
- 1964 – 1977 Enoch HumphriesEnoch HumphriesEnoch Humphries was a Scottish trade unionist and President of the Fire Brigades Union and the Scottish Trades Union Congress.-Early life:Humphries was born in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire...
- 1977 – 1979 Wilf Barber
- 1979 – 1986 Bill Deal
- 1986 – 1991 Stan Fitzsimmons
- 1991 – 1999 Ronnie Scott
- 1999 – 2002 Mick Harper
- 2002 – 2007 Ruth Winters
- 2007 – 2010 Mick Shaw
- 2011 - to date Alan McLean