Hundreds of firefighters demonstrate at Scottish Parliament against below inflation pay increase

The demonstration is said to be the biggest of its type in years. Credit: ITV Border.

Hundreds of firefighters are demonstrating outside the Scottish Parliament to campaign for better pay and against cuts in the service.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have travelled to Edinburgh from across Scotland to say "enough is enough" and demand investment in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services (SFRS).

Leaders of the FBU are recommending their members reject a five per cent pay increase which falls below inflation. It is expected that another ballot will take place on whether to take strike action if the offer is rejected.

Scottish FBU secretary John McKenzie said: “The situation in the fire service just now is not good. Since 2012 we have lost 1100 firefighter jobs in Scotland. The budget has effectively been frozen for that period of time.

"What the Scottish Government are indicating is that, come the budget in December, they are minded towards freezing the budget of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for a further four years. That would mean the jobs of hundreds more firefighters throughout Scotland and that is simply unacceptable."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The people of Scotland are well-served by the officers and staff of the SFRS, who play a vital role in keeping our communities safe.

"Firefighter pay is negotiated through UK-wide collective bargaining arrangements, which includes SFRS as the employer. The Scottish Government is not part of these arrangements.

"The Scottish Government has continued the commitment to support SFRS service delivery and modernisation with a further uplift of #9.5 million for 2022-23, bringing the budget to #352.7 million."

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