HUNDREDS of the county's firefighters packed into a meeting to voice their opposition to proposed changes in their working practices.

Firefighters, including representatives from stations all over East Lancashire, again backed calls for a national ballot on strike action, saying new pay and holiday entitlements will worsen employment conditions and cause a potentially dangerous fall in the level of service.

The rally was attended by members of Lancashire Fire Brigades Union, who heard a speech from national union officer Andy Gilchrist.

County Coun Bob Clark, chairman of the county's Combined Fire Authority, also spoke at the meeting in Preston.

Union bosses have reacted angrily to calls from the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades to allow individual authorities to set their own staffing levels.

But Coun Clark claims there is no intention of imposing the changes before an agreement is reached.

After the meeting, Lancashire FBU secretary Tony Harris said: "Mr Clark came out with the same old agenda of cuts in conditions, cuts in the fire service and attacks on the FBU.

"Andy Gilchrist told him we don't want confrontation, we just want conditions leaving as they are. We're not asking for anything extra. "If they leave us alone and concentrate on the chronic underfunding of the fire service, they will have our support."

The dispute is now in the hands of conciliation service ACAS, who will try to thrash out an agreement in the coming weeks.

Coun Clark claimed employers were trying to 'bring the fire service into the 21st Century' by modernising overtime pay and health plans. He said: "The employers are not looking to impose the conditions unilaterally. We want to reach an agreement and talk of strikes is unfortunate.

"The Government is intent on improving fire safety education and we'd like to see the fire service do that.

"But the fact is, the union is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut and the Government may put safety work out to tender if they don't pull their heads out of the sand."

Coun Clark added that the Home Office has still not decided whether to allow the fire authority to scrap part-time fire crews at Accrington, Leyland and Lancaster as part of sweeping budget cuts.

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