THIS BLOG HAS been made aware of discussions taking place between FBU members in various parts of the country over reports that the union is seeking to ban teams of relief volunteers from lending assistance to fire and rescue services during protracted and large-scale emergency incidents. These volunteers provide support and nourishment – in the… Continue reading FBU annual conference calls for ban on Christian fireground relief volunteers
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Why does the FBU leadership consistently show contempt for the parliament of the union?
A RECURRING CRITICISM of the FBU leadership is that it regularly fails to properly progress resolutions agreed at the union’s annual conference. This is a long-running problem that shows no sign of being put right. Conference is often referred to as the “parliament” of the FBU. Every year, delegates representing FBU members in every local… Continue reading Why does the FBU leadership consistently show contempt for the parliament of the union?
Why is an FBU executive council member claiming that a failed strategy to attract an army of new members was really a success?
THIS BLOG HAS previously reported on how a ground-breaking strategy proposed by the FBU leadership to arrest a decline in membership numbers and secure the union’s future as an independent organisation has been left gathering dust on a shelf for seven years. The radical strategy – set out in a policy statement by the executive… Continue reading Why is an FBU executive council member claiming that a failed strategy to attract an army of new members was really a success?
FBU leadership: the charge sheet
Why do we say that the FBU leadership has lost its way and is no longer fit to lead? Why do we accuse them of showing contempt for the principles of democracy, accountability and transparency? Well, here is the charge sheet (complete with hyperlinks). We are content for readers to judge whether or not our… Continue reading FBU leadership: the charge sheet
FBU leaders face contempt of court charge after failing to comply with accounts disclosure order
LEADERS OF THE Fire Brigades Union are potentially facing a contempt of court charge after admitting that they have destroyed or lost a number of accounting records which they had been ordered to disclose by the official trade union regulator. The records detailed the spending activities of senior officials. On 11 March, the regulator –… Continue reading FBU leaders face contempt of court charge after failing to comply with accounts disclosure order
FBU conference rebukes leadership over lost payments scandal
ON TUESDAY (10 May), the FBU’s annual conference debated a resolution, moved by the West Yorkshire delegation, instructing the union’s leadership to take heed of important rulings from employment tribunals and, where the rulings potentially benefit members, raise them with national employers with a view to ensuring consistent implementation across all local fire and rescue… Continue reading FBU conference rebukes leadership over lost payments scandal
Democracy prevails as FBU leadership suffers major – and self-inflicted – defeat on conference floor
THE FBU leadership suffered a major – and entirely self-inflicted – defeat on the floor of the union’s annual conference in Brighton today (12 May), when delegates voted in favour of a proposal to have future vacancies for all national officer positions filled by means of an election of the whole membership and not by… Continue reading Democracy prevails as FBU leadership suffers major – and self-inflicted – defeat on conference floor
Bizarre resolution to FBU annual conference calls for union to be exempt from employment law!
LAST WEEK, this blog asked if a plan hatched by the FBU leadership to have every policy of the union remain in force for 20 years as a default constituted the most ill-conceived proposal ever presented to the union’s annual conference. We think there might now be a new contender. Resolution 82 from the Staffordshire… Continue reading Bizarre resolution to FBU annual conference calls for union to be exempt from employment law!
Is this the most crackpot proposal ever put to FBU annual conference?
BETWEEN 10 – 13 MAY, the FBU’s annual conference will take place in Brighton. Delegates from every brigade across the UK will gather at the Grand Hotel in the town to debate and vote on a wide range of topics affecting the union’s members. One particular item that has caught the eye of this blog… Continue reading Is this the most crackpot proposal ever put to FBU annual conference?
Why has a radical plan to secure the FBU’s future been left to gather dust on a shelf?
In 2015, the FBU’s annual conference – often described as the “parliament of the union” – agreed a policy statement entitled “Membership, Recruitment and Organising”. The statement, which was moved by the executive council, was agreed against the backdrop of rapid and deep-seated changes taking place in the UK fire and rescue service – changes… Continue reading Why has a radical plan to secure the FBU’s future been left to gather dust on a shelf?