Page 1 of Is anyone else getting totally pi$$ed off with the fireman strike???????

When are the firemen going to realise that they are taking the p*** and no matter how many times they strike and try to hold the country to ransom they do not deserve a payrise, far in excess of nurses, doctors, police...... and quite frankly me!!!!!

I believe they do deserve a pay rise...... somewhere in the region of 3-6% just like most other people get.

The thing is that nobody is even bothered anymore because the previous strikes have proved that the country can operate quite fine without them!!!!! There hasn` been a great increase in deaths, there hasn`t been an increase in fires, the only thing that I think there has been an increase in is the amount of people that now think they should just get on with their job and stop bloody complaining about earning a wage that a lot of people in this country would love to earn (including the 40 people that apply for every fireman job that is advertsied).

My stance remains the same as when they first started asking for a ridiculous raise....... IF YOU DON`T BELIEVE YOUR EMPLOYER PAYS YOU ENOUGH FOR WHAT YOU DO, LEAVE AND GET ANOTHER JOB!!!!!!!!

And this "but we risk our lives every day" crap has got to stop. They knew that when they applied/accepted the job (along with the wage). Should our soldiers who are going to fight "that camel f`er in Iraq" get £30,000 a year??????

Sorry if I have offended any firemen who read reviewer, but I`m just sick of the whole thing as I`ve got good mates that are being made redundant soon and would love to have the security and earnings that firemen do.

I cannot agree the country can operate without them.

There were deaths during the last series of strikes. There is no way of knowing if those lives could have been saved by real firemen who are properly trained and use much better equipment. Personally, I know I would prefer someone who has the training and experience in fighting fires than those who have little or non of either.

I do think, however, their demands are unreasonable. The mentioned figure of 16% seems very fair.

And yeah, you saw how much the pay was when you started to job. The French are paid less and have medical training and CANNOT strike (the French!!) It`s no surpirse to see public opinion going down.

To a certain extent I agree ... But firemen are underpaid, if you look at just their salary.

But then you see some of their working practices - Part Time and Full Time crew not allowed to work on the same rig, getting meals supplied and, bloody hell, being able to sleep on the night shift, full pension with an average retirement age of 45. (And how many firemen have a second job?)

When they start to reform thier practices then we can start to look at paying them a better salary.

I did notice that the tack that the firemen are taking is now slightly different than the previous "We want 40%" to more "We`re trying to protect the services from cuts"

It started as a legitimate request for pay, then got slightly out of control with the first strike - and now I really can`t be bothered listening to Gilchrist or the FBU anymore. Yes, the firefighters do a good job, and yes, they deserve good pay, but for reasons mentioned before in the thread, they are now being pretty unreasonable. Mr Prescott - pass the no-striking law and stop them before more lives are lost.

Just to make it clear, I also think that they do a great job..... superb in fact.

But so do nurses, doctors, army and even people in commercial jobs such as accountants etc etc. In general most people when asked would say that they deserve more money for what they do.

I just think that sometimes you have to take a step back and think of all the people that haven`t got jobs and also those people which work bloody hard for peanuts (by that I mean <£11,000 a year).

There are people with 10+ GCSE`s, 3 A-Levels, a good degree and also a professional qualification, who aren`t earning anywhere near what a fireman does.

And when I said that we can do without them, I didn`t mean indefinitely I just meant that Andy Gilchrist`s (wan*er) vision of the country coming to a standstill because of the strike, turned out to be rubbish. I think that the performance of the army should be commended..... and don`t forget that the majority of the soldiers working on the Green Goddesses earn a hell of a lot less than the firemen who are striking.

Yes they do deserve a rise, yes they do a great job..... but stop the greed and be reasonable......... get back to work and enjoy some sleep (sorry had to get that one in!!!)

I totally agree ....in that they did indeed know what they were getting into when they signed up...how many Air Force, Army or Navy pickets lines have their been ?

Shouldn`t they be picketing ? Because not only are we having to do do our own job but that lot of greetin` wasters as well.

We are losing valuable training that could save our lives out there, because we are having to do the same job in some case for less money and with s**t equipment....Oh, and then we have to train for War to protect the intrestes of Us and again THEM, while they stand around bleetin all day instead of what they are trained and paid to do.

DON`T GET ME STARTED......There is not enough web space.

Get back to work..so the rest of us can ! If any one is due a raise its the poor sods who leave their families for months at a time to live in tents in the poxy desert...not the "snuggle up in bed till the next fag gets lit".
I appreciate they do a great Job in RTA`s etc..but they all read the contract.

Correct me if I am wrong but I am sure that the Firemen don`t actually own the Fire Stations. While they are striking who is paying for the food they eat, the electricity and water they use etc. They are enjoying the comfort of the Fire station without actually doing any work, thay have running, water , cooking facilities, electricity and beds to sleep in for god`s sake.

If anyone else were striking they would be out on a cold picket line outside their place of work having been locked out. They also wouldn`t be parading round in their bloody uniforms, which they were provided with by tax money.

If tax money has gone towards the fire stations then kick them out, if tax money has paid for uniforms, they shouldn`t be wearing them. If tax money has bought the fire engines then train the armed forces to use them and set up camp in the fire stations.

They are having a nice easy time on this strike, after all they can go inside for a sleep/to warm up/to get someting to eat whenever they fancy it.

I also notice they went back to work over the xmas and new year period to collect their overtime bonuses.

If it was down to me i`d sack the lot of them!

I would suggest that the FBU called the Government`s bluff, expecting them to cave in before any strikes were held and settle for a big (say 11-16%) rise with no modernisation criteria attached.

What has happened is that the government have rightly refused to be held to ransom, when other public sector works, like me, are getting inflation only rises, and have only had inflation rises for the last five years.

Whilst there may have been some public sympathy originally, there is none now, and it is clear that they will at best get 11% over two years coupled to a review of their archaic working practices and making sure that as professionals they devote 100% of their time to the fire servicem not also working as plumbers etc.

Gilchrist tried to be Arthur Scargill and failed miserably, don`t be surprised to see him removed as the head of the FBU when it is all over and the firemen/women have not got what they want.

At the end of the day, they do a very important job, but so do the police, health service staff and many other public sector employees, and all should be given reasonable increases in return for continual modernisation of practices. In addition, whilst the salary may not be what they want, they, like other public sector workers, get one of the best pension schemes going, which goes some way to make up for the lower pay.

So my message is, go back to work, accept what is on the table and don`t be so greedy. Otherwise, go and work somewhere else.

have to agree with `rigger` send the lazy twats to Iraq or Afghantistan, or anywhere else we are deployed in the world, get them to work for days on end... without sleep, a break or anything else, or overtime, without being able to see or speak to those at home!!!

I don`t mind doing this, i read my contract and that is what i signed up and agree to do...

they have lost the plot... and hopefully the backing of the nation!

I love the way they sit around their bonfire with their stupid hats on like they`re in some sort of silly little boys club