Firefighters, bus drivers on strike

South Yorkshire firefighters will stage their second 24-hour strike as part of a long-running dispute over senior officers' plans to change shift patterns.

Meanwhile, bus drivers working for First in Sheffield will take part in the first of two 24-hour strikes in a row over disciplinary action.

Bus drivers in Sheffield are set to strike on Friday and on Sunday.

Steve Clark, Unite regional industrial organiser, said: "Sheffield has outstanding collective grievances that still need to be resolved like the company's attitude to disciplinary action."

Strikes were originally set to go ahead in Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield over pay. Unite accused First Group, of which First South Yorkshire Ltd is its Yorkshire subsidiary, of using the recession as 'an excuse to freeze pay'.

But Mr Clark said strikes had been suspended over this issue after First improved its pay offer. He said: "We have suspended strikes regarding the wages issue pending a ballot next Thursday."

The firefighters' dispute erupted over proposals to implement a 12-hour shift pattern, instead of the current pattern of nine-hour days and 15-hour nights. Firefighters have argued that new shift patterns would present families with problems, including childcare arrangements. The first 24-hour strike took place on Monday.

Previously, the fire authority offered to negotiate but the FBU said it would not call off the action unless a threat to sack 744 firefighters as a means of imposing new contracts was withdrawn. Fire chiefs have said no employees had ever been threatened with dismissal and no jobs would be lost under the new proposals.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Smitherman said: "I find it absolutely staggering that the FBU has chosen to continue putting local people at risk when managers, non-striking firefighting staff and support staff are doing their utmost to make the public safer."