FIRE and rescue workers at Faslane and Coulport will start a continuous overtime ban from today (Thursday) in a dispute over cuts to crew levels and "a lack of consultation".
Capita, the private firm which won the contract in 2020 for fire response services at the bases from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), reduced the specialist fire safety crew at HMNB Clyde earlier this year in the face of widespread criticism from unions and politicians.
Members of the trade union, Unite, gave their unanimous backing for action short of a strike, while more than three quarters supported taking strike action in a ballot turnout of 91.1 per cent.
Unite slammed the decision by Capita management to press ahead with cuts to fire crews, alongside what it called "the lack of promised new fire vehicles and updated equipment".
Capita has previously stated that they intend to mitigate safety risks due to the cuts through an "investment in new technology to reduce fire risk" - with the union saying it was "not aware of any new technology which would address ongoing safety concerns".
However, a Capita spokesperson promised that four new firefighting vehicles are due to be delivered to HMNB Clyde by the end of this year, and confirmed that only four workers have left their positions, all on voluntary terms, as opposed to the eight job cuts suggested by Unite.
READ MORE: Firefighters 'up for a fight' over Capita plan to slash Faslane and Coulport jobs
Debbie Hutchings, Unite industrial officer, said: “We have been in dialogue with Capita since their decision to press ahead with cutting the fire response services at the bases, but more concerns have been raised throughout this process.
"There is a lack of clarity, cohesion and coordination about what would exactly happen in several major incident scenarios. We simply haven’t received any credible answers to our questions.
“It’s deeply worrying that in all the years the bases have been in operation, there hasn’t been a practical exercise for maximum credible incident scenarios with all the relevant agency involvement.
"These are routine exercises which are regularly done on other safety critical sites but they are not happening at the naval bases.
"We are open to dialogue with Capita, and the other relevant organisations including the Royal Navy and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), to ensure that the correct level of planning and resources is in place because that doesn’t exist right now.”
According to a Capita spokesperson several new technical systems have been introduced "to enhance fire safety and operational delivery across all stations, including at HMNB Clyde".
READ MORE: 'An accident waiting to happen': Union slams firefighter cuts at naval base
The firm says training has been provided to all fire and rescue colleagues, while it's also in the final stages of agreeing the location of onsite breathing apparatus training facilities at Coulport, to minimise the need for firefighters to travel for training.
A Capita spokesperson told the Advertiser: “We are disappointed by Unite’s decision to proceed with industrial action regarding MoD-approved changes that have been made to resourcing levels at Faslane and Coulport.
"We have a range of contingency options agreed with Defence Fire and Rescue and the Royal Navy’s Clyde leadership team which will ensure the delivery of fire service operations is maintained.
“Our recommendations to increase or decrease resourcing levels at any MoD site have to be endorsed by Defence Fire and Rescue’s Chief Fire Officer, and ultimately approved by the site’s leadership team. Any such decision would follow on from a thorough review of fire risks. In this case, our proposed changes were also validated through the conduct of four confirmatory exercises and a lengthy process of scrutiny by the base leadership team.
“Capita is working with Defence Fire and Rescue to modernise the MoD’s fire and rescue capability. Our £85 million investment in new firefighting vehicles, digital technology, and enhanced training facilities is improving firefighting capabilities and reducing risk to our firefighters, MoD personnel and critical military assets.”
The company also clarified that local authority fire and rescue service cover has always been provided at the sites, and "no additional responsibility [is] being placed on the SFRS", following concerns that back-up support from local stations would be difficult to deliver.
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