THE firefighters' pay dispute is over.
Crews across the borough and the rest of the country have returned to normal working and will now receive a 3.5 per cent increase, the union says was due in November.
The failure by the national employers to pay the penultimate instalment of the 16 per cent pay deal centred on their belief that planned modernisation of the service had not moved quickly enough. They were also accused of trying to revise previously approved wording in contracts.
Their stance led to unofficial industrial action by firefighters in Greater Manchester and, at one time, 130 firefighters were suspended after they refused to use new anti-terrorism equipment. Crews in Bury, Whitefield and Ramsbottom answered 999 calls only for a short time in support.
The county's 2,000 Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members were also to be balloted on strike action. However, following talks last week, the FBU executive and the national employers struck a peace deal. The proposals, covering night shift working, was agreed by the FBU on Wednesday.
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