MEPs are due to vote today (Wednesday) at the European Parliament over whether to retain the opt-out within the Working Time Directive legislation and retained firefighters have been trying to ensure that the effect losing this would have on the Retained Duty System (RDS), was brought to their attention.

Forres retained fireman Paul Taylor, who is assistant national officer for Scotland for the Retained Firefighters Union (RFU), said his members believed that banning them from working more than the 48-hour maximum could seriously threaten the future of retained fire services.

"We are not scaremongering," he said. "While we are aware that the TUC fully supports the removal of the opt-out, which allows individual workers to agree to work more than the 48 hours, and that it has a right to represent its members' wishes, we also have a right to represent our members' wishes and that is to continue to work as we do within the the RDS."

Mr Taylor said that his members felt that it was essential that the opt-out remained in place, otherwise all the fire stations manned by retained firefighters could be at risk.

"It could be that it wouldn't be viable to run retained fire stations throughout the UK," he said. "We don't see all stations closing down should the vote be lost, but we don't know how things will go.

"Most retained firemen have day jobs, working on average 40 hours a week.

"If we go training on a Wednesday evening for 3½ hours, it doesn't leave us much time to go out and fight fires.

"If this legislation forced retained fire stations to close along the A96, there would only be three stations left, Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness.

"We feel it is essential to retain the opt-out, to allow firefighters to decide for themselves whether they want to work more than 48 hours, and continue to work as we do within the RDS, with all the benefits its provides within the community."

k.smith@forres-gazette.co.uk

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