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T
he ght over pensions is back on.
Tats the message from FBU
picket lines across England and
Wales. But after this weekends action
we have to escalate the strikes if we are
going to win this dispute.
Te call for strikes over three days
was a good way to restart the campaign.
But its time to ramp up the pressure.
A week of strikes would hit the
government hard, stretch the employers
and show everyone concerned that the
gloves have come o.
If any brigade is locked out the
whole of the union should strike for the
duration.
Resilience in parts of the country is
at breaking point. We must take this
opportunity and escalate our action.
Te attacks on our pensions have to
be stopped.
Coordinated action
We need to be talking to other
unions who are ghting back about
coordinating our action with them.
Te FBU is strong enough to win this
dispute but action alongside other
workers would make us even stronger.
Our strikes come at the end
of a week that has seen London
Underground workers strike for 48
hours against job cuts and ticket oce
closures. Tey are set to start a 72 hour
strike on Monday.
Teachers have voted for more strikes
after successful action on 26 March,
and local government workers are set
to ballot for strikes against a derisory 1
percent pay oer.
Tis could lead to joint action by up
to a million public sector workers in
the summer. Health workers are also
consulting for action on pay.
Our latest strikes mark the end of a
long pause in our action. FBU leaders

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Firefighters 02/05/14
hoped that a period of negotiation
would lead to a settlement.
But while the union negotiated, the
government was busy implementing its
own agenda.
With the latest increase in pensions
contributions imposed at the start of
April, this in eect removed the issue
from the dispute for many members.
Te focus of the negotiations has
been the issue of actuarial reduction.
Tat is, how much it will cost you if
you want to retire between the ages of
55-60.
It was in this area that the union felt
some progress was being made prior to
the budget, which the government have
used to further stall on a settlement.
Actuarial reduction, and the issue
of capability dismissal, remain the two
most important issues at stake in the
dispute.
It is now clear that without a serious
ght the government remain happy to
string the union along all the way to
2015, when the new pension will be
implemented.
In order not to jeopardise
negotiations the union took its foot o
the action pedal.
But this reduced the pressure that
had built up on the government,
allowing it to use announcements in the
budget to further postpone any oer.
Tough
Its really good that the latest action has
been accompanied by tough talk from
the FBU leadership. Were being told
the gloves can come o now.
But that means that we have to step
up the ght. It means no more long
gaps between strikes longer, harder
hitting strikes are what we need.
Every strike the union has called
has received enthusiastic support from
members.
If the union campaigns to escalate
over the coming weeks it will be
possible to win support for a serious
programme of strikes.
Many activists have been frustrated
with the pace of action. Te union now
needs to show that we are ghting to win.
ESCALATE THE STRIKES
TO WIN THIS FIGHT
Pickets at Brixton re station on Friday
Photo: Guy Smallman