Campaign for a Democratic FBU
@CampaignFBU
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Challenging the autocratic leadership regime in the Fire Brigades Union. Fighting to bring greater democracy, accountability and transparency to our union.
United Kingdom
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We are a rank-and-file campaign group fighting for a more democratic, transparent and accountable Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Our union's leadership has abandoned its roots and become remote, authoritarian and hostile to dissent. It's time to reclaim the FBU.
#ThingsMustChange
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🚨 BREAKING: FBU leaders have LOST their legal bid to suppress details of how they have spent the union's funds. The official regulator for trade unions orders them to open the books within 14 days. ⬇️
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"A former Fire Brigades Union (FBU) leader was the victim of an 'appalling witch-hunt' that saw him sacked from his role months after he was told to 'be aware' that his boss would 'come' for him over his support for Brexit, a tribunal has heard."
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Did you know that at the most recent Labour party conference, the FBU leadership voted to:
- relax immigration controls
- abolish private schools
- support a 2nd EU referendum
- allow all non-UK nationals to vote in UK elections.
Do these match the priorities of FBU members?
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We are a network of members and activists fighting to restore democracy, accountability and transparency to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The leadership of our great union has become out-of-touch and autocratic. We believe things must change - urgently.⬇️
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The anti-police tweet showed a Fire Brigades Union (FBU) leadership that has lost touch with the views of rank-and-file firefighters and uses the union as a vehicle to peddle its own fringe political agenda. We want to make the FBU more democratic and accountable. Follow us.
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At the TUC Annual Congress today, the FBU spoke in favour of gender self-identification. This will have profound implications for the rights and security of women, and we do not believe it is supported by most of the union's members.
Standing in
#solidarity
to protect the rights of Trans and Non Binary siblings
@The_TUC
We remain resolute in our support for the right for individuals to live the life in the gender they identify
#TUC2023
@fbunational
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“Dodgy” is also an accurate word for a union leadership which secretly pays out huge sums in “hush money” to a string of departing employees, withholds that information from the union’s own executive council and then tries desperately to stop members inspecting the accounts.
‘Dodgy’ seems a very accurate word to describe corruption in Parliament.
Solidarity Zarah.
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Embery was told to "be aware" that his boss was would "come for him” just months before he was sacked, tribunal hears.
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Today’s ‘Private Eye’. Another expensive car crash for the FBU leadership. They are no longer fit to lead our great union.
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In its annual report to members, the FBU leadership has failed to make any mention of this high-profile employment tribunal defeat it suffered last year - a defeat which likely cost the union around £100k and seriously damaged its reputation. Why is that?
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Is it now time for the FBU to end its support for gender self-identification and the right of men to compete in women's sports? Does its current position represent the view of most FBU members?
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Police officers will say they were only enforcing the law. If FBU leaders disagree with the lockdown restrictions, perhaps they should say so publicly and aim their fire at the government. Firefighters don't want a war with blue light colleagues.
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No-one ‘sneered’ at the union for supporting refugees. Some people did, though, criticise officials for spending members’ money on travelling to Calais to show solidarity with people who were in a perfectly civilised and safe country yet were attempting to enter the UK illegally.
This doctor working in an NHS hospital is saving lives here in Britain. He is a refugee from Syria.
Some people have sneered at our union
#FBU
for our humanitarian support for refugees.
They should hang their heads in shame.
We will stand by our principles.
#Solidarity
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2021 was the year the FBU experienced arguably the biggest PR calamity in its modern history. The whole affair "shredded the reputation of the FBU leadership," wrote investigative journalist Andrew Penman in the Daily Mirror.
Hard to argue with that.
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FBU executive council member sends "solidarity" to a person who was forced to pay substantial damages after falsely accusing a firefighter of routinely harassing women and of having lied about a serious incident in which he was threatened with violence by a drunken group. Classy.
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In 2019, the FBU leadership decided to donate £200k from the union's political fund to Labour's general election war chest and, shortly afterwards, £25k to Rebecca Long-Bailey's bid for the Labour leadership. Not a single member or local committee was consulted.
#ThingsMustChange
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Before the FBU leadership has us all believe that the anti-police tweet was the responsibility of some young staffer, just bear in mind that several senior officials retweeted it with approval. These are questions of judgement. And, once again, that was badly lacking.
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Dear
@fbunational
. This is the reaction you get from firefighters when you dish out politically-motivated sanctions. (Taken from Facebook.)
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A reminder that a string of FBU employees departed the union with secret pay-offs and gagging orders after complaining of mistreatment - a scandal which made the pages of Private Eye magazine.
Dear, oh dear.
Raab would have got away with it, if it weren’t for those pesky unions….
Tensions rise after Dominic Raab claims he was targeted by ‘unionised officials’
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The official regulator for trade unions has ruled that the FBU leadership broke the law by refusing to allow a member to inspect the accounting records of the union. This leadership has become a law unto itself. It's time for them to stand down.
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It seems the FBU has deleted the anti-police tweet that sparked so much controversy. Sadly, the damage is already done. Poor judgement from a leadership that increasingly puts its own brand of far-Left politics before the views of ordinary members.
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Senior FBU officials have been virtually absent from the media during the events of this week. Still, they’ve made their position clear on the Rwanda plan. ⬇️
#Priorities
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🚨 NEW BLOG: Is the FBU right to call for a ban on Christian relief teams providing support to fire crews at major incidents? We don’t think so. ⬇️
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"A Fire Brigades Union leader was told to 'be aware' that his boss would 'come' for him just months before he was sacked, a tribunal has heard."
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It seems Private Eye has picked up on the unethical practices of the FBU leadership. ⬇️ For too long, our union's leadership has got away with the minimum of scrutiny. This has bred arrogance and authoritarianism, with dire results. It is clearer than ever that
#ThingsMustChange
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17
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Firefighters are due their annual pay rise today. It won't be coming. What have we seen from the FBU leadership? No definitive pay claim. One vague circular back on 5 June. No update since then. No strategy for the future. Sidetracked by fringe political causes.
Not good enough.
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🚨 NEW BLOG: Trade union regulator tells FBU leaders they had no right to demand a member sign a secrecy agreement before allowing him to inspect the union's accounts. We call on
@MattWrack
to stop blocking scrutiny and transparency.
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Democracy has broken down in the Fire Brigades Union. Accountability and transparency are being eroded. Our leadership considers itself about scrutiny. It would sooner purge critics than debate with them. These are the reasons why our group was formed. ⬇️
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BREAKING: the FBU leadership has unilaterally cancelled our planned inspection of the union's accounts on the grounds that we won't sign a secrecy agreement presented to us at the last minute. The inspection was due to take place tomorrow.
Blog to follow.
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How would the FBU react if an employer disciplined an employee for something that was not a breach of policy at the time, but then created the policy *after the event* in order to cover their tracks (while falsely claiming that the policy had always been in force)? ⬇
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🚨BREAKING: The trade union regulator has decided that a full public hearing must take place into a complaint that the FBU's executive council breached the union's rule book when it terminated disciplinary proceedings against the general secretary and a national officer.
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Is someone who does something like this a fit and proper person to run a great trade union?
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9
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Letter from FBU head office to Private Eye following the publication of an article alleging financial impropriety and concealment by senior officials. Note that they don't object to the substance of the article itself - only the use of the union logo. What does that tell us?
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Did you know the official position of the FBU is to support:
- the right of men to legally self-identify as women
- a consultation on extending self-ID rights to 16/17 year olds
- allowing men who identify as women to take part in women's sporting competitions
#DefendWomensRights
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A senior official of the FBU, elected by members, suddenly departed the union after falling out with the leadership. He was reportedly paid a large sum of money to keep quiet. He wasn't the first to depart in this way.
We need an independent review now.
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Imagine an employer disciplined a worker for something that wasn’t a clear breach of rules at the time; then hastily created a policy to provide cover for its decision; then was found to have allowed others to break that ‘policy’ over many years. How unethical would that be?
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BREAKING: FBU leaders have been ordered to appear before the official regulator for trade unions after unlawfully attempting to force a member to sign a secrecy agreement before allowing him to inspect the union's accounts (as he is entitled to do by law). Blog to follow.
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Is a leadership which is caught time and again misleading members - even falsely accusing opponents of theft - fit to lead a great trade union? We deserve leaders with integrity and who can be trusted - not leaders who literally make stuff up because it suits their agenda.
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🚨 NEW BLOG: As a second whistleblower steps forward over claims of 'hush money' payments at FBU head office, we call on the union's leadership to end the secrecy and give us answers. ⬇️
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This week’s Private Eye. ⬇️
What is going on is completely unacceptable. It’s time to clean the stables in the FBU.
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1. Senior union official retires.
2. Union leadership awards him a substantial exit payment.
3. Both parties sign gagging agreement.
4. Details withheld from union's governing body.
5. Leadership blocks all attempts at scrutiny.
Utterly crooked. ⬇️
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The trade union regulator has ordered the FBU leadership to open the books. This is the first enforcement order handed down to a union by the regulator since 2019. Our leadership is no longer fit to lead.
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You may think the FBU leadership was right to donate union funds to Labour's general election campaign fund in 2019. That is a legitimate point of view. But a colossal £200k? And without a single member or local committee being consulted? That cannot be right.
#ThingsMustChange
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“The most senior officials of the FBU have been caught freelancing in the most unacceptable manner. For the good of our union, these revelations cannot be ignored.”
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Are you an FBU member? Are you happy that our leadership decided to donate a colossal £200k to Labour's general election fund and then £25k to Rebecca Long-Bailey's bid for the Labour leadership *without consulting you or local FBU committees*? Raise it with your local reps now.
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🚨 NEW BLOG: FBU leadership threatens member with court injunction after he sought to exercise his legal right to inspect the accounts of the union. Planned inspection cancelled by union leadership at last minute. More on this shameful saga here. ⬇️
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Today's 'Private Eye' ⬇️. Matt Wrack should do the honourable thing and resign.
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FBU leaders controversially halted a pivotal election just 15 minutes before close of balloting. Insiders suggest their ally was about to be unseated. They then blatantly misled members about who was responsible for the suspension.
#NoLongerFitToLead
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The FBU executive council decides to move copies of minutes of their meetings to a more secure place after hearing a rumour that a member wanted to read them.
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Lots of debate in the media about the morality of out-of-court settlements. The FBU leadership reached private settlements with several former employees. Huge sums of members’ money were spent on buying their silence. This scandal isn’t going away.
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Not a single media interview with the general secretary or his deputy during one of the most tumultuous weeks in the modern history of the UK fire and rescue service, and when the FBU was presented with the ideal opportunity to make the case on cuts and pay. Not good enough.
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We are the most vocal critics of the current FBU leadership and the way in which they are running our union. We have exposed serious failings and misjudgements. We urge
@MattWrack
to accept our invitation to debate us head-to-head. Why would he not do so?
#ThingsMustChange
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Matt Wrack pledge when running for general secretary: “Let members know what salaries, allowances & other perks are paid to national officials.”
Currently he is urging the trade union watchdog to block disclosure of a secret payment he authorised to a retiring national officer.
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The FBU executive council is currently making key decisions about the political direction of our union. So are you publishing minutes of meetings as required by union policy,
@MattWrack
? If not, how on earth can members scrutinise these decisions & hold the leadership to account?
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Vast sums of FBU members' money were spent on buying the silence of departing employees, some of whom had made claims of mistreatment. And senior figures of the union tried to keep it all under wraps.
We need an independent review into this scandal.
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Our union deserves leaders who demonstrate integrity and honesty, who understand the importance of accountability, and who do not resort to personal abuse or smear when engaging with opponents. There is absolutely no place for this sort of conduct in the FBU. ⬇️
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"The Metropolitan Police acted 'appropriately' at a vigil for Sarah Everard in south London earlier this month, a police watchdog has found."
Makes the public attack on the police by FBU leaders look even more misplaced.
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"Senior figures in Unite, the FBU and CWU told the Mirror they would push to slash the amount of funding given to the party ... unless Corbyn had the whip reinstated."
Our leadership should speak to us members before deciding what to do with our money.
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🚨The FBU brigade committee in North Wales has tonight passed a resolution demanding that the executive council hold an urgent recall of annual conference in advance of the ballot for national strike action over pay. 🚨
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🚨 NEW BLOG: For too long, the FBU leadership has got away with treating our union as though it were their own personal property. Here are some of the reasons why they are no longer fit to lead. ⬇️
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38
Last year the FBU officially backed Rebecca Long-Bailey & Richard Burgon for the leadership & deputy leadership of the Labour party. The union also donated £25k of members’ money to Long-Bailey’s campaign. Not a single grassroots member or local committee was consulted. Not one.
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38
The general secretary of the FBU is refusing to answer the questions of an influential group of MPs who are enquiring about allegations of bullying and gagging orders inside the union. These are not the actions of a responsible trade union leader. ⬇️
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FBU general secretary
@MattWrack
sat in a meeting and apparently said nothing while it was decided that members' money would be used to fund a personal legal case involving a close ally, and in which the union had no material interest. Utterly appalling ⬇️
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11
40
"My union was proud to back Rebecca Long-Bailey in [the Labour leadership] contest," says
@MattWrack
. In truth, that was a decision taken by a dozen senior officials in a room. Members and local committees had no say at all in the matter.
#ThingsMustChange
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6
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Why did FBU leaders break a longstanding conference policy by halting the circulation to regions of minutes of meetings of the executive council? Members are entitled to see what their leaders are doing in their name.
Stop the secrecy. Respect conference. Release the minutes.
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36
Sean Starbuck, an elected FBU national officer, was the latest employee to depart the union in murky circumstances. He went with a sizeable pay-off and gagging order. He was by no means the first. It's high time
@MattWrack
gave us some straight answers.⬇️
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36
FBU leader
@MattWrack
calling recently for bullying & harassment to be eradicated from the fire service. Sadly he speaks with no authority on this. He heads a regime that is guilty of bullying its own employees and has made secret pay-offs to many of them.
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9
36
What does it mean when a general secretary of a trade union waxes lyrical about his passion for freedom of expression and the right to dissent if he then says and does nothing when a senior official is kicked out of office for expressing an alternative point of view?
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33
There is now the likelihood of a major and unprecedented split in the Fire Brigades Union, with a breakaway union being launched.
@MattWrack
and his fellow leaders must reflect on their own role in bringing about this schism. Their autocratic approach has led us to where we are.
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Imagine if top bosses in a fire service used taxpayers’ cash to strike private deals with departing colleagues and then withheld full details from the service's managing body on the grounds of “confidentiality”. That’s basically what has been going on in the FBU. Keep watching.👁️
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11
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It is clear that a number of FBU members and officials, past and present, have been distinctly unimpressed by the virtual absence of senior FBU spokespeople from the media this week. A golden opportunity to press our case on pay and cuts has been missed.
2
6
37
Still no answers from the FBU leadership on whether members unknowingly footed the bill for an employee of the union to work for a political organisation which counted the general secretary as a member of its ruling body.
#ThingsMustChange
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7
32
The FBU general secretary has been across the media attacking Keir Starmer for attempting to crush democracy in the Labour Party. Yet, under his leadership, the FBU has seen a serious erosion of internal democracy & accountability. ⬇️
#DemocracyStartsAtHome
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35
This hardline Trotskyist group - the 'Alliance for Workers Liberty' - is attacking Keir Starmer for - shock, horror - giving a speech in front of the national flag. FBU leaders have built close ties with these extremists. They should cut those ties now.
2
10
34
We call on the assistant general secretary of the FBU,
@BenSelby_
, to explain to members why he saw fit to propose their money be used to fund the legal costs of a PRIVATE case involving a senior colleague. This is an appalling misuse of members' money.
🚨 NEW BLOG: Meet the FBU national officer who "used thousands of pounds of members' money" to fight a PERSONAL legal case. ⬇️
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36
The FBU leadership’s unsuccessful attempts to prevent a member accessing the union’s accounting records has made the trade union regulator’s annual report as a “case of interest”.
4
11
35
🚨 NEW BLOG: Why were FBU members charged the cost of deluxe fitness equipment purchased for the personal use of a senior official?
4
7
34
The current president of the TUC - an organisation that campaigns against bullying in the workplace - is someone who authorised secret payments to members of his own union's staff who had accused him of bullying. Let that sink in. ⬇️
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13
38
Today's 'Private Eye' covers the story of the FBU leadership's attempts to mislead Scottish members over the election for regional secretary.
1
12
35
“There are no cases in the Fire Brigades Union that I’m aware of where there are allegations of discrimination or bullying which have led to a non-disclosure agreement.” Cue sharp intake of breath from several former FBU employees.
3
8
34
An FBU national officer used UNION FUNDS to bankroll his legal defence after libelling a member late at night on his personal social media account. This is an appalling abuse of members' money, and he should be held to account. ⬇️
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12
34
We’ve had more reaction to this blog than perhaps any blog we have ever published. Members rightly angry that a senior FBU official libelled someone on his personal social media account late at night, and then used UNION FUNDS to bankroll his legal defence. Inexcusable conduct.
🚨 NEW BLOG: Meet the FBU national officer who "used thousands of pounds of members' money" to fight a PERSONAL legal case. ⬇️
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Welcome to all of our new followers - a strikingly high number of firefighters from Scotland for some reason! We believe in the FBU. But we want to reverse the move towards authoritariansim and autocracy that we have witnessed in our union over recent years.
#ThingsMustChange
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The FBU leadership treat the union as thought it were their own private property. ⬇️ They are no longer fit to lead.
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7
34
🚨 NEW BLOG: FBU leadership breaks rules by failing to hold key national election.
1
5
34
With no physical union meetings taking place, and with the *conscious decision* by the leadership to conceal minutes of executive council meetings, the chain of accountability has utterly broken down in our union during the pandemic. This is an appalling state of affairs.
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31
We are the main focal point of opposition to the current FBU leadership - a leadership that has become deeply arrogant and out-of-touch.
@MattWrack
has always claimed to be willing to debate critics. Yet he continues to duck a debate with us. What does that tell us?
5
5
32
Much debate again in the news today about the campaign to allow individuals to self-identify their gender. Many women in the fire service and beyond have expressed deep concern about such a proposal. The FBU leadership supports it.
8
7
33
Message to Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members: If you care about our union and its reputation, you won't want to miss our blog tomorrow (Monday). Jaw-dropping stuff. The leadership has some very serious questions to answer.
#CleanTheStables
#GiveUsBackOurUnion
0
11
34
We can report that the challenger, Ian Sim, has been declared the winner in the Scottish regional secretary election. Blog to follow.
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1
35
🚨 The rescheduled public hearing to consider a complaint that the FBU leadership breached the law by failing to grant a member access to the union's accounting records will take place in front of the official trade union regulator on 22 February via videoconference.
1
6
33
Large sums of FBU members’ cash were spent on keeping people quiet. And in most cases the details were withheld even from the union’s governing body.
@MattWrack
’s denials simply don’t hold up. The evidence is overwhelmingly against him. ⬇️
5
12
33
How can we hold you and other FBU leaders to account,
@MattWrack
, if you brazenly refuse to publish the minutes of executive council meetings (as you are required to do under FBU policy as agreed by annual conference)? Why should you be allowed to breach policy in this way?
2
6
34
BREAKING: A former employee of the FBU has contacted us to say they will be writing to
@DianaJohnsonMP
(the chair of the home affairs select committee) to confirm they signed a non-disclosure agreement after making a complaint of bullying. Why did
@MattWrack
claim otherwise? ⬇️
2
11
33
Some senior FBU officials are tweeting their anger at the fact that a Momentum activist has been suspended by Labour. Meanwhile, thousands of firefighters have been diddled out of hundreds of pounds which was rightfully theirs. Perhaps get angry at that?
REVEALED: How fire service bosses kept hold of millions of pounds which belonged in the pockets of hard-working firefighters.⬇️
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Today's pro-Palestine march was controversial because it was called on Armistice Day, when we traditionally remember those who fought & died. Given the links between firefighters & the armed forces, was it wise for the FBU leadership to provide the union's fire engine as a stage?
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6
34
Can we have an explanation, please,
@fbunational
? The past 48 hours have provided an ideal opportunity for the union to get its message across in the media. Yet senior officials have been conspicuous by their absence. What is going on?
@waterfairymick
@tel_leigh
@fbunational
The absence of FBU officials from the media over the past couple of days is bizarre. We need an explanation. I know from experience that it is very likely the union's head office would have been besieged with requests for interviews.
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