Petition · past parliament

To Stand with Manchester Firefighters: No to mass dismissals.

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) managers are planning to sack all of its firefighters using Section 188 of the Trade Union Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, then re-engage those who agree to a new 12-hour shift system.
The whole process has begun with limited discussion and no agreement from Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members – an estimated 95% of all firefighters in Greater Manchester are members of the FBU.
The proposed new arrangements mean that one in five firefighter posts will be slashed, 250 posts in total, with the remainder having worse conditions imposed on them. Firefighters would hardly see their families under the new 12-hour shift arrangements. We need the public's help!

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

The appointment or dismissal of staff is the responsibility of Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS), not the UK Government or Parliament.

If you like, you could start a new petition asking for the repeal of Section 188 of the Trade Union Labour Relations Act 1992, so that it cannot be used to dismiss fire-fighters in the future.

You could also raise the issue with your local councillor, who represents you. Find out who your councillor is here:
https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors

Timeline

21 Sep 2016 Petition opened for signatures
23 Sep 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11
Status Rejected
Rejected 23 Sep 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.