Firefighters' pay rise equals (pounds) 70 per home

Settling the firefighters' 40% pay claim would cost the average Scottish household 50p a week, according to research by a leading firm of business consultants for the Fire Brigades Union.

The FBU, which represents 55,000 members, has rejected a 4% pay offer from local authority employers and is seeking a minimum salary for firefighters of (pounds) 30,000 a year, a rise of nearly 40%.

Firefighters across the UK will vote over the next few weeks on whether to stage the first national strike in the fire service for 25 years.

Research by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, one of the world's leading business consultancies, for the FBU shows the cost per week of a 40% pay increase would be approximately 41p per household across the whole of the UK, increasing to 50p in Scotland.

The annual cost per household in Scotland for settling the dispute would be (pounds) 70.37, about what the average family spends on coffee or teabags in a year according to the FBU.

"We are not calling for a pay rise but a new fair deal for firefighters," said John McDonald, the Scottish member of the FBU executive. "Firefighters are simply asking to be paid the correct rate for the dangerous job they do. These figures show that claim is reasonable and realistic."

The research is the latest evidence gathered by the FBU to back its wage claim. The 40% increase is based on work carried out by the Labour Research Department, an independent unit which carried out a similar study into MPs' pay and also recommended an increase.

Meanwhile the president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), Councillor Pat Watters, has appealed to the firefighters to delay strike action and allow the independent review of pay and conditions to go ahead.

"This inquiry will report in a matter of months," said Watters. "Surely it makes sense to wait and see the results before rushing into a strike."

The Cosla leader has also warned the alternative fire cover from 900 old Green Goddess engines, staffed by military personnel, will not be as good as the service currently provided from 3000 fire engines and experienced firefighters.

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