Union leaders accused fire service managers of "bully boy tactics" to force them to accept changes to shift times, fearing those who do not accept them will be sacked.

But the fire service said it was trying to maximise efficiency and safeguard jobs in the face of looming cuts to public services.

A total of 744 frontline firefighters are to be issued with new contracts on January 1 based on four 12-hour shifts in a row.

The dispute has already seen them refusing to work overtime in protest at the proposed ditching of the system of two nine-hour days and two 15-hour nights.

The Fire Brigades Union is hinting at "serious industrial action" if the changes are forced through. It says it is the first time ever that "mass sackings" have been attempted by the fire service nationally.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: "The voters of South Yorkshire will be appalled at the way this fire authority is treating its firefighters. This is the worst kind of bully boy tactics from the worst kind of employer. The fire authority has never made a convincing case for the changes they want. It is change for the sake of change which would cause havoc with family life and childcare.

"At every stage the fire authority has wanted to impose change rather than negotiate it. This approach has made matters worse and they have now sunk to an all-time low for fire service employers."

A fire service spokesman said: "Nobody is losing their job. We are in a consultation period in which we hope to obtain a collective agreement with the FBU. As a last resort we would follow the technical process used by local authorities up and down the country, which would be to terminate existing contracts and immediately re-engage all 744 affected staff on new contracts."

The process was designed to "futureproof us" against the financial challenges ahead of us. "If we can maximise our efficiency now, future threats to fire stations and firefighter jobs will be reduced."

"Thousands of South Yorkshire people have lost their job over the last few months. Thousands of public sector workers up and down the country are losing their jobs. We are not cutting a single job, just moving three hours from the night shift to the day shift."


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