Firefighters from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) take part in the Cuts Leave Scars rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, October 26, 2023
MORE than 450 people and organisations, including 20 MPs, have signed an open letter demanding that Israel stop impounding a fire engine donated to Palestinian firefighters.
Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members in Scotland donated the vehicle last year, with support from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish government and the STUC.
The appliance, packed with firefighting kit, equipment and medical supplies, had been destined for Nablus in the West Bank, but it was seized at the Israeli port of Ashdod last July by Israeli customs officers, who have demanded that it be sent back for being a right-hand-drive vehicle.
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The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART