A Virtual Picket Line

We have had an IDEA - a VIRTUAL PICKET LINE 

Lots and lots of  people support the Fire Brigades Union's currently industrial action but are unable to pop down to the picket lines at Fire Stations and show their support "in the flesh".

So FCCL have decided to compile a virtual picket line of  photos and comments from members of the public for the forthcoming period of industrial action , which are  

Friday 2 May, between noon and 5pm

Saturday 3 May, between 2pm and 2am

Sunday 4 May, between 10am and 3pm

Simply send us a photo and some text 

explaining why you are

 supporting  the strike to

virtualpicket@gmail.com   

and we will upload the pictures in the

form of a video to our website. 

Don't forget to let us know which area

 of the country you are supporting. 

us a picture of yourself and some text explaining why you are supporting the Fire Brigades Union’s current industrial action to

An Assistant Chief Officer called Steve,

An Assistant Chief Officer called Steve*

Has (you'll  find it hard to believe)#

Stopped West Yorks FBU, from emailing you

So we're cross and we need to concede...........  

*Rhodes  
# Ok we are being sarcastic it's been a long day!

 Concede to what you may ask ?

We here at FCCL have a very soft spot for David Williams of West Yorkshire FBU. He has over the past two and a half years risen  from associate, comrade, to  friend and now (poor sod) has achieved the heady heights of being a trusted pal. 

So when FCCL  read the West Yorks FBU facebook page on the 23rd April 2014  FCCL  went from serene to niffed quicker than a CFO discovering a camera might have been left running on a pump during a strike! 

So we are conceding  to our emotions (its a girl thing)  and wish to name and shame ACO Steve Rhodes as FCCL  consider him to be a BULLY  and worse is  guilty of victimisation and harassment of a union official, which is not only inappropriate behaviour for a Director of a Public Authority but in direct contravention of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ! 

ACO Rhodes actions are also of course in direct contravention of WYFRS  Employment Services Trade Union Facilities Agreement Policy (Grey). A copy of which you can find here  

Dave's alleged crime.............to try an email some of his members via his WYFRS email account! 

Now Dave (we happen to know because FCCL were also there) recently attended a TUC briefing on Facility and Recognition agreements,  so he  is fully aware of what he can and cannot do; and what the FBU as a recognised Trades Union is entitled to use as part of their facility / recognition agreement  with WYFRA .

Strangely enough the Chief Fire Officers Association don't seem to be allowed access 

to the above facilities - it would be interesting to  see if they did communicate

 with their members via their  WYFRS email accounts!  

So in closing  we have to award both David Williams and Steve Rhodes 10 /10. 

Dave for showing great courage in outing what ACO Rhodes has done - standing up to bullying such as this takes guts. 

And to 

ACO Rhodes for being our little blogs 

favourite person! 

To date FCCL has had 150,000 hits and 27% of all our traffic has viewed Handbag Gate - so we have a lot to thank him for really ! 

The Mother of Development Opportunities!

On Tuesday I undertook my Fire Marshall training which was conducted in my workplace by a trainer from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. As it was the third time I have done the course (it’s obligatory every three years) I attended expecting the same old stuff as the previous two episodes, but a different trainer meant the course content was slightly different. I will be forever grateful to the chap, as now I know the best fuel to light a barbecue with is a packet of cheesy wotsits; although today  the FBU assured me that monster munch works just as well (and as they are cheaper, are more cost effective)  plus the pickled onion flavour tastes so foul  setting light to them is probably classified as an humanitarian act keeping them out of the food chain.

 

Anyway less of potato based snacks,  

I digress.

WYFRS explained the Triangle of Fire - fuel, heat and oxygen and said it was our duty to report and if possible rectify fire hazards if we saw them in our workplace. One of the examples he gave was a picture of a cassette radio adjacent  to curtains on a bedroom windowsill; he admitted that this had been taken in a bedroom at Fire Service Headquarters at Birkenshaw  and that one of the recruits when training had placed it there (he did add, bless him that they hadn't had recruits in a fair while and that it was a very old piccie) at which I may, or may not, have had a small coughing fit to try and prevent a sarcastic remark escaping from my lips.

Then we were asked what  we would do to the person who had been stupid enough to cause a fire hazard in the first place?

A spot of banter ensued and the sanctions varied from a  telling off to sacking them for gross misconduct! None of which were right apparently ............ people doing things that may have potentially endangered life or property offered staff  

"development opportunities" he said. It was an opportunity to show them the error of their ways and support them to understand what they had done wrong and to teach them the right way. 

For once I have to say I agree with somebody from FSHQ !

But now I am confused...........

IF  the advice from WYFRS is that making mistakes is to be seen as an opportunity to do good and develop people professionally, why on earth have they dismissed Firefighter Phil Miller for a one off act that took place on a picket line?  

For what he is alleged to have done I'm not saying that he should get off scot free, but surely it is a gross waste of tax payers’ money to dismiss a highly trained staff member who over the years will have accumulated masses of experience and matured into the role he undertook. 

It would surely be a decent manager with integrity who acknowledged an error made by their staff and dealt with it "in house” rather than using a sledgehammer to crack a highly trained and experienced nut by dismissing them. 

An even better manager would work with the union concerned to ensure that there was a mutual understanding of unacceptable behaviour!

The Star Trek Effect! 

How much it costs to train a fire fighter to a competent standard I don’t know, but I expect  it runs into the many tens of thousands of pounds?  

Is it worth throwing all of that training away in one fell swoop?  

No of course it isn’t.  

The councillors who oversee the fire authority (listed below) are perhaps the ones we should all hold to account.  At the present the Human Resources Committee is as follows, as you can see it is the Labour party who hold sway; most of whom will have at some point in their careers been on demos, picket lines etc and would surely understand the emotional nature of such events. Yet they allowed senior management to dismiss Phil Miller.

Labour	Conservative	Liberal Democrat
Cllr R Grahame (Vice chair)	Cllr P Caffrey	Cllr C Burke
Cllr M Hardy	Cllr L Holmes
Cllr M Harland	Cllr A Taylor
Cllr M Khan	Cllr G Wilkinson
Cllr G Thornton (Chair)
Cllr A Wainwright

The FBU firefighters who are striking and campaigning are aiming to change things for the betterment of all, not just union members.

Any benefits gained from the removal of ones labour is an act for the collective 

long term good of Fire and Rescue.

Surely this incident would offer WYFRS managers the mother of all 

development opportunities!  

But they chose to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut -  I can therefore only presume the act of dismissing Phil was an act of vengeance and spite (and extremely unprofessional too!)

Shame on You WYFRS, although from what we have seen here at FCCL they don't manage staff as much as intimidate them into submission.

So  

We wish you the very best Phil and we will support you in whatever way we can and we are confident that Thompsons and the FBU in partnership will fight your corner at an Employment Tribunal. Talk to them, get your day in court  - its what you paid your subs for! 

And because we are in a philosophical mood we will end with an appropriate  quote for all WYFRS Managers.....

The New Improved Formula Really Works ............

Today in the FCCL office we have had a bit of good news. 
It concerns our recent post here 

One of our supporters emailed to say that they had just had confirmation from West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue that their holiday pay calculation on retirement in 2010 was incorrect and they were shortly  to receive

We are assured that the individual concerned will be popping by the FCCL office very soon so we can partake in a celebratory cup of coffee and a bun. (and he's paying) 

This is the third person  we are aware of who has got a windfall due to WYFRS messing up. 

As we know that

2012  - 24 firefighters retired

2013 - 16 firefighters retired 

that's potentially approx £80,000 owing from 

two years alone from operational staff - what about the non operational ones too !!!

and as we have already stated this claim was from a retirement in March 2010! so heavens knows how many more people may be entitled to cash. 

That's a lot of money people may be missing out on  that they may not be aware of. In our opinion the calculations should ALL BE CHECKED going back several years rather than individuals having to make a claim. 

Below are the calculations used for the most 

recent claim. 

Gross pay  £28,199 

Holidays Owed 28 days 

Old Formula 

4 weekly payments divided by 28 and multiplied by the number of days outstanding. 

= £2162.23 

New Formula 

           Annual payments divided by 182.5 

and multiply the number of days outstanding.

= £4326.42 

A WHOPPING DIFFERENCE OF OVER TWO THOUSAND POUNDS. 

Integrity - and the men in the lift

There is a video at the end of this post we really need you to watch

BUT 

Before we get back to our proper blogging after a week of heated conversations with an IT support worker- which warrants a post
in its self - we thought we would just demonstrate how two faced  Councillors can be.  
We would like to share this as a warning to those areas of the country who are currently fighting cuts in fire and rescue provision. Please learn from our mistakes. 

Way back in October 2011 we made our first foray into fighting cuts in fire and rescue, and we learnt very quickly that politicians say one thing and then do another. 

Below  is a snapshot of the Inner East Area Committee minutes - where the local Councillors for  the surrounding area assured the public (FCCL included) that they  agreed with the then Station Commander Tony Head,  that Gipton and Stanks Fire Stations  should be saved. 

Note : 

EIAC strongly opposed the closure of the Gipton and Stanks fire stations and

relocation to one base. Members felt this would undermine the safety, health

and wellbeing of constituents if this led to a reduction in service to the area.

EIAC urged local community representatives to participate in the consultation

and contact their local MP’s. Members thanked Station Commander Head for

his presentation and participation in the frank discussions

RESOLVED

BUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WAS THIS ......

Firstly,  it was alleged by a Councillor very publicly  (over a year after the incident) that the Chair of the Fire Authority  Mehboob Khan bullied at least one Councillor into submission. We wrote about it HERE.  and if he bullied one we reckon he bullied more. 

SO ......

Ensure your local Councillors are not going to make political decisions behind your back..... pretty much  the night before the decision meeting was to be  held in our case. 

 ( at least one other Councillor from the same party and ward was unaware that  his colleague was going to vote through the closures - we know we have the text message). 

Don't just  write it down - VIDEO THEM  - so when they are up for re election you can play it back to show what they said. 

AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO.

 (if they don't vote not to close stations etc) 

 If they are in or affiliated to a trades union - make sure their branch is aware that they are potentially voting through  cuts that affect peoples lives ( and not just financially  - it could kill them). Does a political party trump a trades union ?  - nope it doesn't 

( just ask Ed Milliband )  

Get them to state in the press, on TV and anywhere else in the public domain they are against the proposals. 

And last but most certainly not least  get to know your local FBU officials - they are your allies and also technical advisers 

on any campaigns. (although we do reckon ours might be a bit tired of us by now, bless him) 

.AND FINALLY  ...... 

What happened  to our politicians  is  demonstrated perfectly by the video below.....just imagine a lift full of fire officers and a Councillor trying to do what is right.  

Instead of doing what was best for the communities they represent  - the Councillors did what they were told by a set of overpaid, self serving fire chiefs on ridiculously high  salaries! 

It takes guts to stand up to authority  - we know that for sure. 

Timid Councillors + Arrogant Fire Officers = Disaster 

   

It may sound silly  but show your local Councillors this video - it may just  make a difference. 

To Tweet or not to Tweet ?

Today FCCL went for a coffee and a welsh rarebit ( #aspirationalcheeseontoast ) with a lady we much admire, Anthea Orchard. We have been in touch for a while now with her  and have watched this weeks events unfold with interest (and a very unusual silence that some of you may have observed). 

Many comments in FCCL circles have said "if you knew, why didn't you blog it?" and  I have to admit I was seriously tempted BUT we  figured for such a serious allegation (which we hadn't had corroborated by anybody else) a face to face meeting was essential before any tapping of keyboards took place. Anyway today FCCL and Anthea met for the first, and we sincerely hope not the last time! And as it turns out we have a lot in common. (Under active thyroids and pet rabbits for a start). 

Having read a few of the WYFRS papers and emails  in depth ,  that Anthea has showed us, it seems some employees in WYFRS have nothing better to do with our tax payers money than to trawl face book for allegedly errant employees who heaven forbid have facebook pages. Are they working without permission or perhaps bringing WYFRS into dispute? It seems that as well as social media in WYFRS eyes it's Anti Social Media.

Although it seems to FCCL that WYFRS senior  managers seem to be doing a damn fine job of being anti social themselves recently.  Simon "no comment" Pilling could probably do with coming out of his ivory training  tower instead of peeking over the battlements and chucking the occasional AC/DC O to the crowd. Although many claim that Simon has completely lost the plot in all of this and actually WYFRS is currently a rudderless ship!



We  can't help but wonder as Anthea was exonerated of the allegations AND  received a payment for damages, if WYFRS employees (all views expressed are their own of course) will be reprimanded for posting negative comments in the social media world about an ex colleague.  We give an example on the left from a WYFRS current employee.

Don't know about anybody else but I find the #attentionseeking  hashtag in particular offensive!

How do we know he is a WYFRS employee? As an avid twitterer he actually tweets he is at Birkenshaw HQ !







Gary, bless him also seems to  revel in the fact that Anthea openly admitted on national TV  to being full of oestrogen when the events took place resulting in the  application for authority for directed surveillance that  was instigated by recently retired ACO Martyn Redfearn.

Well Gary, if you despise  women  whose hormones are all over the place because  they have recently given birth; you should have thought twice before really annoying a MENOPAUSAL ONE who runs a blog!

 

Anyway (windows 8 permitting ) we will be back  tomorrow with a post  "Rhodes to Nowhere". Well actually we think that ACO Rhodes may shortly be up a rather  dirty waterway without an appropriate method of propulsion to move him forward.  #redfacesallround  - maybe!  

Who is Burning Your Money ?

I would be the first to admit i can leave substantially more of the Taxpayers Alliance   than I can take.

But we have on couple of occasions been rather taken with what they have posted on their website. FCCL was dropped a hint to look at their articles on the Chief Fire Officers Association, and what an interesting read it is! The full article is available here 

FCCL strongly  advises everybody regardless of the work they do to join (and indeed become involved and active in ) A TRADE UNION. Unions can provide you with many benefits, from cheaper insurance to legal cover for employment issues should  you ever need it. However being in a union is not free, you pay a subscription, usually monthly to give you the cover you need. Most unions subs are on a sliding scale depending on how much you earn.  Below are the 2013 rates for the Fire Brigades Union (should you need more information it's here 

	WHOLETIME		JOB SHARE		RETAINED		VOLUNTEER		JUNIOR FIREFIGHTER
	WEEKLY	MONTHLY	WEEKLY	MONTHLY	WEEKLY	MONTHLY	WEEKLY	MONTHLY	WEEKLY	MONTHLY
TRADE	£5.30	£22.97	£2.65	£11.49	£1.75	£7.58	£0.35	£1.53	£1.75	£7.58
POLITICAL	£0.16	£0.69	£0.16	£0.69	£0.16	£0.69	£0.16	£0.69	-	-
AIF	£0.76	£3.29	£0.76	£3.29	£0.76	£3.29	£0.76	£3.29	£0.76	£3.29
TOTAL	£6.22	£26.95	£3.57	£15.47	£2.67	£11.56	£1.27	£5.51	£2.51	£10.87

So a "bog standard " fire fighters pays approx £323 a year  from their wages to enjoy the many benefits of being a member of the FBU.

So  if a firefighter on an average salary of £28,500 a year pays £323  (doing some big sums ) 

this means a Chief Fire Officer should pay in the region of  £1,800  per year fees to the CFOA

BUT 

GUESS 

                      WHAT ???

                         

    THEY PAY NOTHING AT ALL 

Because WE THE TAX PAYER PAY THEM 

Brigade	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	Total
West Yorkshire	£4,698.75	£13,638.63	£14,652.00	£32,989.38
South Yorkshire	£17,909.74	£22,907.00	£16,610.15	£57,426.89

And to quote the taxpayers alliance 

The name suggests this is an organisation paid for by those at the top of the fire service. As I pointed out, this is far from the truth. It is taxpayers that prop-up the CFOA as it gets subscriptions from fire authorities across the country. Those same fire authorities even pay for the individual subscriptions of well paid senior fire officers.

We think that WYFRS and SYFRS  should take a stand and refuse to pay the subscriptions of the Chief Officer.  The London Fire Brigade agree with us.Last year Ron Dobson the London Fire Commissioner said this

At a time when public sector organisations are being challenged to make huge savings across the board, we believe this increase shows a lack of empathy with the financial situation facing all the fire and rescue services that CFOA is there to support.

“In the current economic climate we believe they should be leading the way, rather than simply passing on the cost of savings that we are all being asked to make.

We think that we the tax payers of Yorkshire should start to lobby to stop these payments to people who  already get very high salaries  BUT  it is much worse, here on the front page of the CFOA is the launch of Bluewatch !

The CFOA  are actually in partnership  with a private company  CAPITA

 Capita plc has today announced the launch of Blue Watch, a new fire and home safety scheme, supported by the UK’s fire and rescue services (FRS). Capita has signed a seven year contract, with an option to extend for a further three years, with CFOA Services Ltd (CSL) - a trading company of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) - to deliver the scheme.

The full press release is available here  (but you might have to login as a guest on the CFOA site) 


Now call me thick  but aren't we being constantly told that firefighters workload is reducing?  

That we don't need as many of them ?  

Yet our very own Fire Chiefs are using OUR MONEY  to promote a private venture and reading Paul Fullers  (CFOA Services Ltd (CSL) chair) which is a trading company of the Chief Fire Officers Association)  validation of the programme makes me  feel extremely sick !

Paul Fuller, CSL chair, said: “As a serving fire chief, I am proud of the work fire and rescue services across the UK have done to drive down death and injury, but more can always be done. Too many lives are still lost and injuries caused, which is why we have set up Blue Watch. Using our experience, knowledge and professionalism we will help landlords make their properties safer from the risks of fire and carbon monoxide. It’s all about providing the best possible advice and support, as well as top quality safety products. We are looking forward to working with Capita in bringing a fresh approach to fire and CO safety, which we hope will reduce the number of people affected by fire and CO.”

I THINK IT IS TIME TO CALL OUR FIRE CHIEFS TO ACCOUNT !

A FRESH APPROACH TO FIRE SAFETY  - ----It is

P R I V A T I S A T I O N 

(and not even by the back door)