Fire strike: union denies climbdown

Hopes rise of an end to the dispute after firefighters suspend action

Firefighters' leaders unexpectedly suspended an eight-day strike due to begin tomorrow after allegations that they were waging a political war against the Government.

Leaders of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and employers are due to meet at the conciliation service Acas tomorrow for "exploratory" talks aimed at ending the strikes.

Four times the FBU has called off industrial action to allow talks. While union leaders asserted that a second eight-day strike before Christmas was "live", last night's decision is expected to signal the end of the dispute.

Andy Gilchrist, general secretary of the FBU, denied that the decision to call off tomorrow's stoppage was a sign of weakness, warning that such an assumption would be "a grave mistake". He insisted that another eight-day strike due to begin on 16 December would go ahead unless there was an agreement, and that his 50,000 members remained united.

Mr Gilchrist came under intense political pressure at the weekend. He was accused of conducting a political vendetta against New Labour. He told members of the Campaign Group of Labour MPs on Saturday that he was prepared to work for the replacement of New Labour with Real Labour.

The union's executive had been expected to call fresh walkouts after increasingly strident comments from ministers declaring that any improvement on a 4 per cent pay rise this year must be financed through modernisation.

Mr Gilchrist welcomed the intervention of Rita Donaghy, chairwoman of Acas and a former president of the Trades Union Congress, saying that it provided a "glimmer of hope" to end an increasingly bitter industrial conflict. He said his executive had taken a "reasonable and mature" decision to suspend the action, although he is understood to have faced substantial opposition from left-wingers on the 19-strong executive. The announcement was further evidence firefighters were not involved in a political crusade, he said.

The surprise decision to suspend the industrial action followed a weekend of secret contacts involving the TUC, which has been trying to resolve the dispute. While the discussions with Acas could clear the way for an agreement, any negotiations are expected to be long and tortuous.

The local authority employers said last night that they were entering the discussion at the behest of Acas and would be providing the organisation with their views on modernisation and pay in the fire service.

A statement said: "This will be purely exploratory with a possible view to Acas brokering discussions. It will not mean Acas mediating or arbitrating in the dispute." The employers reiterated that any increase in pay above 4 per cent would require "significant" concessions on modernisation.

Both the Government and employers are keen to introduce greater flexibility in the way firefighters are deployed. The FBU will be urged to agree to more integration of full-time and part-time employees, lower night-time staffing and integration of emergency control centres to involve fire, police and ambulance services.

Ministers welcomed the union's decision to call off the strike but took a hard line on providing any government cash to help to secure an agreement. They said that any pay deal on top of the original 4 per cent offer must be "fully funded" by modernised working practices, rather than simply "linked to modernisation".

Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "If this is a sign they are prepared to negotiate seriously on the whole issue of modernisation, then that is good news."

Nick Raynsford, the minister responsible for the fire service, said: "We welcome any move to resolve the dispute providing they are within the parameters set out by the Deputy Prime Minister last week."

John Monks, TUC general secretary, said: "This is the right move by the FBU and shows sound strategic sense by its executive. It puts the pressure on to the employers and Government to come up with an offer that can start real negotiations."