FIREFIGHTERS and control room staff overwhelmingly backed a new pay deal today, ending their months-long dispute over wages.

A whopping 96 per cent of Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members endorsed the settlement, 7 per cent backdated to July 2022 and a further 5 per cent from this summer, on a turnout of 84 per cent.

The improved offer from fire and rescue service employers came after the sector’s workforce delivered a massive mandate for national strikes in January. 

General secretary Matt Wrack welcomed the outcome, saying: “We pay tribute to our members for their determination and unity. 

“This result is testament to the power of collective action. Without the huge strike mandate, this deal would never have been achieved.”

Mr Wrack noted that employers had originally tabled just 2 per cent in June last year, then 5 per cent in November before being forced to up their offer once again.

“The crucial mechanism for achieving this outcome was direct negotiations with employers,” he stressed.

“With collective bargaining, we were able to make our case and avoid industrial action. This would not have been possible with a so-called ‘independent’ pay review body.”

Under such a body, which advise ministers on wages for the NHS, teachers and elsewhere, with a remit set by Downing Street, walkouts “would have been inevitable,” Mr Wrack said.  

He warned that the deal still amounted to another take-home pay cut for 2022-23, albeit a smaller one, but with inflation now starting to fall the situation looked more promising beyond April. 

The union’s Scottish secretary John McKenzie praised the settlement but added: “We now have much more to do to ensure we have a fire and rescue service fit for the times we live in.