THE FBU leaders declared yesterday morning that ‘The government scuppered the suspension of the strike – the FBU and our employers had found a way forward.’

The statement adds: ‘We had a draft agreement drawn up. We were on the point of suspending action. The government torpedoed this. It is their responsibility that the strike has gone ahead.’

Geoff Ellis the FBU negotiator added: ‘We took a decision at 0630 to say we were going to suspend the strike to allow talks to continue.’

The draft agreement between the FBU and the employers declared: ‘This is a package agreement linking pay rises to a real commitment to modernise and improve the fire service.’

It added: ‘The NJC will immediately start negotiations on stage one of the Agenda for Change with a view to reaching agreement by February 28 2003. The NJC will negotiate with a view to reaching agreement on stage two of the Agenda for Change between April and September 2003.

‘The Agenda for Change will include all modernisation items either side wish to raise.’ It added: ‘In the event that finality is not achieved by negotiation and agreement within the time scales above, reference can be made by either party to an independent panel which will adjudicate on the contested issues. The adjudication will be binding and both parties guarantee to accept the outcome.

‘The panel will consist of three members, one each from the Audit Commission and the TUC and an appropriate independent eminent person to act as chair to be agreed between the parties as soon as possible.’

The employers had got everything that they wanted. An end to the 40 per cent claim – reduced to 16 per cent – and a full modernisation programme, in which all the Bain proposals could be put to an allegedly independent committee for binding arbitration.

It is an indication of just how bankrupt British capitalism is, that the government vetoed the deal. Faced with a deepening economic crisis they were not willing to cough up £200 million over three years for getting the FBU leaders to dispose of their members’ conditions of service – this is after they have handed over literally hundreds of billions to failed privateers.

Instead they have declared war on the FBU itself. They want to crush the firefighters so that they can drive the whole working class back and make it pay for the world economic crisis, as it was made to pay for the Wall Street crash in 1929 with the hungry 30s.

This is a class war government planning to make the strike illegal, use strikebreakers to cross picket lines, and take other unions to the cleaners with allegations of secondary action.

Yesterday early morning, the TUC general secretary John Monks rushed down to the negotiations to see if he could help clinch the deal that the Labour government sabotaged.

Now the FBU must demand that Monks acts with the same speed to call an immediate meeting of the TUC general council to give its full and active support to the firefighters and to defeat this bosses’ government.

The General Council must warn Blair that any state attack on the FBU or other unions will see it call a general strike to defeat the government. The TUC must instruct the setting up of councils of action in every area, made up of trade unions and community organisations to aid the firefighters, and it must urge every trade unionist to join the FBU picket lines.
Firefighters must look to their leadership. With class war declared, a fighting, bold and revolutionary leadership is required to replace those tired reformists whose only tactic is retreat and surrender.

The FBU and the trade union movement as a whole needs a new revolutionary leadership that understands that this Labour government’s attacks on the working class must be defeated, and isn’t frightened of defeating the government.

The defeat of the Blair government will, in fact, open up the way for going forward to a workers’ government that will carry out socialist policies to aid workers and youth both at home and abroad.

At home it will bring in a socialist economy, supporting and developing the public sector and ending the menace of privatisation, and abroad it will hold out the hand of friendship to the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples, ending the terrorist attacks on them by the imperialist powers.