FIREFIGHTERS are turning to food banks because of the cost of living crisis, a trade union campaigner has revealed.
Paul Embery told GB News: “The reality is firefighters are now in the same boat as many other people. We had an offer of 2% in June and frankly, it was an insult.
“At a time when millions of workers, firefighters included, are struggling to make ends meet and being affected by the cost of living crisis, we’ve got firefighters visiting food banks.
“We said to the National Fire Service employers, ‘look, you need to improve that offer’.
“We said ‘It’s not acceptable. It’s an insult to firefighters’…We’re in a position now where we feel we’ve got very little option but to hold a ballot and head towards strike action.”
In an interview during Breakfast with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster on GB News, he said: “Firefighters are employed by local authority, fire and rescue services.
“Some of the funding for fire services is raised locally, some of it is provided by central government. The interesting thing is the pay settlement for much of the rest of the public sector has been much better.
“I say much better. It’s been better than 2%. Police, for example, received 5% back in July, other workers in the public sector received 5% as well.
“Firefighters are looking at this situation and saying well hold on a second, why do you value us so low in that respect by offering us only 2%.”
He added: “There’s a lot of anger because of what happened recently with the heatwave and the fact that firefighters were on the front line, showing the bravery and professionalism that they always do dealing with all of the wildfires that were taking place across the country.
“They also work through the pandemic. Don’t forget remained on the front line through the pandemic and for employers and National Fire Service employees to come to us and say, ‘look, we only think you’re worth 2% this year’ and for us to say ‘look, please reconsider’ and for them to say ‘well, well, no, that’s all you’re getting’.
“Does anyone really question the fact that firefighters now feel ‘well, if that’s what you’re going to offer us, we’ve really got no option but to withdraw our labour’.”
