SOUTH YORKSHIRE FIRE DISPUTE

That this House expresses great concern at the current dispute between South Yorkshire Fire Authority (SYFA) and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) which can only put the public of South Yorkshire at risk and cause damage to both parties in the dispute; believes that while ultimately there will be benefits to the public from a change to existing shift patterns this will best be achieved by an agreement which also recognises the potential disruption to the personal lives of firefighters concerned; and therefore calls on both sides to agree to refer all relevant matters immediately and without preconditions to the Joint Secretaries with the SYFA withdrawing its dismissal notices and the FBU withdrawing its threat of strike action to allow the Joint Secretaries to consider the matters in the most appropriate way.