London could be left without regular firefighters or control centre staff this autumn if strike action goes ahead, Tribune has learned.
Unison and the GMB union are preparing to ballot around 780 office and support workers at the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority over cuts to redundancy pay. If the Fire Brigades Union, which was due to hold two strikes this week, is still in dispute, union branches are likely to co-ordinate strike action.
A strike by the GMB and Unison, who represent about 80 per cent of LFEPA staff, would be the biggest co-ordinated industrial action since the coalition took power.
It comes as unions across London protest and consider strike action over cuts to local council services and jobs. More job losses are expected after councils set their budgets following Chancellor George Osborne’s spending review.
Charles Adje, GMB branch secretary for LFEPA, said: “We will be co-ordinating the ballot [with Unison]. If the FBU wants to work with us, we are happy to work with them.” Unison branch secretary Tony Philips said: “If the FBU are in dispute, we’ll definitely have action with them.” Both unions have voted to strike in consultative ballots in the last two months.
LFEPA has decided to pay redundant staff a week’s pay per year served, instead of mutiplying the total sum by three as previously. The unions believe redundancy terms cannot be changed without new contracts. A spokesman for LFEPA said they had not been notified of any strike ballot and declined to comment on redundancy pay.
Unison members at Barnet, the Conservative “easyCouncil” planning to privatise most of its services, is seeking approval for a strike ballot over an estimated 430 job losses. In Camden, where the Labour council has confirmed 270 full-time equivalent jobs will go, a mass demonstration is planned on December 1.
In Lambeth, where the council announced 400 job cuts in May, union activists are working with tenants’ associations and a pensioners’ action group and a public meeting is planned for 20 November. Unison members voted for strike action in a consulative ballot last month, but no strike ballot is expected due to low turnout. Protests were also expected in Barnet this week, and Havering and Ealing next week
