Firefighters have recently gone on strike (and will continue to go on strike) because of pension age requirements; at the moment, they are able to retire at 55, but the government wants to extend that to 60. Neither side is willing to compromise, and that is the problem. One solution could be to say that at 55 a health check can be administered so that those who are physically unable to fight fires can retire on a full pension, but those who are capable must continue. This would be reasonable negotiation which should satisfy both sides, but they are all unwilling to recognise pragmatism! Firefighters are there to save lives, not to have political issues; I’m sorry if that seems narrow-minded to some people, but I don’t want even a small risk of my house being burnt down without succour from all the resources available rather than just from ‘contingency plans’. If a person chooses to be a part of the emergency services then they should take that responsibility more seriously than financial conflict. I am very disappointed by the strike action; there should be a more concerted effort towards mutual agreement. But that isn’t to say that the government is let off the hook (far from it, they are often the demonisers of workers’ rights!), it’s just that I think firefighters should have a certain morality which says that they never risk letting a fire harm anybody, even if politicians are shits!
No comments:
Post a Comment