Firefighters Call Series of Pre-Holiday Strikes
British firefighters called a series of pre-Christmas strikes in the worst industrial dispute of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government.
The strikes -- starting with a 48-hour stoppage tonight -- will force up to 19,000 British soldiers already stretched by preparations for possible war with Iraq to take over emergency duties.
The strike call by 50,000 firefighters is the most serious in a series of ongoing confrontations between various unions and the government, now in their sixth year. The unions want a 40% pay raise and have rejected an offer of 11%.
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