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Talks under way over fire strike Talks over fire strike adjourned
(20 minutes later)
Talks to try to end a two-day-old strike by firefighters on Merseyside will continue on Monday. Talks to try to end a strike by firefighters on Merseyside will continue on Monday.
The talks began between officials from the Merseyside Fire Authority and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) at a secret location on Saturday.The talks began between officials from the Merseyside Fire Authority and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) at a secret location on Saturday.
More than 1,000 staff members plan to continue striking over feared job cuts.More than 1,000 staff members plan to continue striking over feared job cuts.
The Merseyside Fire Service has denied that jobs are under threat from a proposed shake-up and said firefighters would see an increase in take-home pay.The Merseyside Fire Service has denied that jobs are under threat from a proposed shake-up and said firefighters would see an increase in take-home pay.
'Savagely cut' The preliminarily discussions are said to have been "constructive".
Mark Dunne of the FBU told the BBC that his members were worried about cuts to services. Talks 'genuine'
He said: "Fire crews are taking industrial action to prevent the senior managers and councillors from instigating proposals to savagely cut 125 firefighter jobs and reduce fire engines at night time, which is obviously when most fire deaths occur in Merseyside." Les Skarretts, the union's Merseyside Brigade secretary, said: "At this stage we are satisfied that the talks are genuine and not simply a public relations move on behalf of the fire authority.
The FBU also claims that new shift patterns will lead to firefighters spending 96 hours at a time at their stations. "We were never going to be able to reach agreement today, but a negotiating process has started.
The talks will take place between Les Skarratts, secretary of the FBU's Merseyside branch, and Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bill Evans. "That process resumes on Monday and our dispute and campaign to stop these job cuts continues."
Mr Skarratts said he was optimistic about the talks. If the talks are not successful, services will be resumed for just a two-hour period on Monday before another four-day strike restarts.
Services will be resumed for a two-hour period on Monday before the strike restarts. The action, which began at 1000 BST on Thursday, affects about one million people.
The action - which could last for eight days - affects about one million people, as managers and volunteers operate the service. Managers and volunteers have been operating the service on strike days.