Further News from our Global Alliance Partners
Further to information as in NTM No. 25 – 8 October, below is a Press Release from the F.B.U. of the UK.
“Would you Trust this company with your family’s safety?
When London firefighters go on strike, the safety of Londoners will be in the hands of an international company whose chief executive officer, John Shannon, receives an annual bonus of PdsStg400,000 and salary of PdsStg300,000, largely paid for by London Council tax payers. This sum would employ more than 20 firefighters, Fire Brigades Union General Secretary, Matt Wrack said today (Friday).
Last year the company, Assetco made a PdsStg10.8 million increase in profits, again largely wrung from its biggest client, the London Fire Brigade, said Mr. Wrack. Mr. Shannon is far from their only fat cat. Many of the directors are on stunningly large salary and bonus packages, and also hold several other directorships.
Assetco will deploy at most just 700 poorly trained employees to try to do the work of nearly 6000 highly professional London firefighters, said Mr. Wrack. In fact they are understood informally to have just half that number. They are very secretive about who these employees are.
Assetco’s temporary workforce have been secretly trained in Lincolnshire at a former RAF base. But the nature and length of that training is a closely guarded secret. We hear informally that it is just a few days. You cannot train a fully competent firefighter in a few days.
They will operate from 27 locations, instead of London’s 113 fire stations, and they will use 27 fire engines instead of the normal 169.
The London Fire Brigade is by far Assetco’s biggest customer, according to its website, “ the business is built around a cornerstone 20 year operational asset management contract with the London Fire Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) for London Fire Brigade.” Its other clients are the Abu Dhabi government, the UAE government and Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue.
In February 2001 it secured a 20 year PFI contract to own and manage all London fire engines and equipment. London fire engines, which used to belong to Londoners, now belong to Assetco.
In July 2009 Assetco secured a 7 year contract, the first of its nature in the UK to provide a 700 strong firefighter reserve capability to LFEPA. They and the LFEPA put about the myth that it was for emergencies like a pandemic illness or flooding, but its real purpose was a strike‐breaking force, designed to ensure that London firefighters were always negotiating at a disadvantage.
The London fire Brigade started the process of sacking all its firefighters and intends to have their work done in a half‐hearted and inadequate way, by a company whose top people have already gown rich at Londoners’ expense, just in order to avoid sitting down and negotiating shift patterns with the FBU. Nothing could be more irresponsible, and nothing could be more pigheaded said Mr. Wrack. “
Christchurch Earthquake
In response to a Union OIA request, Mike Hall has provided the following information:
Grants paid in response to the Earthquake:
- Grants to Volunteer Brigades $211,815
- Grants to Career Brigades $ 7,097
The Grants to Volunteer Brigades total around 30 times the Grants to Career Brigades – clearly demonstrating the attitude of the Commission and senior management.
The Union has written to seek further clarification of the purpose of the Grants and the rationale (if any) for the discrimination.
