FIREFIGHTERS in Greater Manchester are set to strike in a bid to save jobs and fight savage cuts.

Members voted unanimously to hold a strike ballot during a mass meeting of over 400 firefighters at the Lancastrian Hall, Swinton last night.

Now the Fire Brigade Union will be recommending their membership of about 2,200 to vote in favour of an all-out strike when they are polled next month.

And GMFBU Secretary Howard Western said today: "If this is not resolved we will see Green Goddesses on the streets of Greater Manchester for the first time in 20 years.

"We have been holding meetings at every branch, including Bolton, and I do not think it is possible for the membership to feel any stronger than they do already.

"The branches are coming down against these cuts and in favour of strike action."

The Swinton meeting was called after the Fire and Civil Defence Authority voted through cuts which will mean the loss of 36 frontline firefighting jobs, five fire safety officer posts and 30 night cooks.

The brigade will also lose a fire engine, a turntable ladder and a light rescue vehicle which is based at Heywood and carries one of only two inshore rescue boats in the whole of Greater Manchester. Firefighting jobs will go from Ashton, Heywood and Irlam but Mr Western warned: "They may not be from Bolton but the loss of these jobs will have a knock-on effect across the whole county.

"You cannot take 36 firefighters out of the equation without putting the public in danger."

General Secretary of the FBU, Ken Cameron, travelled to Swinton to address members and later called an emergency meeting of the union's National Executive Council for next Tuesday.

The national leadership are then expected to rubberstamp the decision made locally and set a date for the strike ballot in about four weeks' time.

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