Case Study: A Fireman's Wage Strikes

The fireman 's wage strikes occurred in the latter part of 2002. A series of forty eight hour and eight day strikes were implemented. The objective of these strikes was to cause disruption to the normal fire cover provided by the fire department thereby making the general public aware of their pay demands. By highlighting their monopoly on fire control and trading on their high standing in the community the union hoped to influence the government 's decision to offer the firemen a 40% wage increase. The union representing the firemen were asking for such a substantial increase because they felt that a fire fighters pay had not increased in parity with other essential services pay over the past 25 years. The initial proposal regarding the …show more content…
At local level the firemen could have adopted a ban on overtime thereby causing maximum inconvenience to their superiors. Although this might not sound an effective way to achieve their objectives, it does force senior chiefs to reassess best working practices and must have an impact on working conditions and the possibility that there might be insufficient cover for a particular shift. Work to rule is another course of action that the fireman would have been able to implement. This would indeed hinder the senior management, forcing a reassessment of the best way forward. This course of action works by the employees not being flexible and working strictly according to the rule book. Another option open to the firemen would be the use of the ACAS system (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.). This is a service that has been established by the government, to act as a third party in employment …show more content…
ACAS states that it can suggest better solutions to help prevent disputes, tackle underlying problems, develop better solutions, encourage the acceptance of change and result in more constructive working relationships. ACAS has three main functions, advice, conciliation and arbitration. This system even offers advice over the phone resolving issues faced by employees and employers by a cooperative and joint problem solving approach. The second role ACAS can play in a situation is conciliation. This is where both parties involved in the dispute can ask a third party to intervene and help them come to an agreement to resolve the situation. The final role ACAS can play is an arbitrational one. This is where the parties involved, ask a third party to act as a judge to decide the outcome of an issue or dispute which can not be resolved by the people involved. The main problem with this approach is that whatever is decided by ACAS is to be accepted by all parties