SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -- British firefighters will call a strike vote if a pay dispute isn't resolved within five weeks, union leaders said Wednesday.
The move was decided by delegates at the annual conference of the Fire Brigades Union in Southport, following angry criticism of the fire service's employers for allegedly reneging on a deal to end the dispute.
A year ago, both sides signed an agreement ending 15 days of strikes by firefighters at the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003. But related talks later broke down, delaying a 3.5 percent pay rise in the deal, and the union is concerned that the final stage of the agreement, a 4.2 percent increase from next month, is in jeopardy.
If the two stages of the deal are not fully paid, a vote will be taken on July 30 about whether firefighters will hold a series of walkouts, union delegates decided.
