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Scottish firefighters are still fighting for fair maternity pay
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
Firefighter officers running through a practice drill during a London Fire Brigade facility at Poplar Fire Station in London
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THE provision of paid maternity leave for firefighters across Britain is a postcode lottery. Firefighters in Scotland are paid up to £16,400 less than some of their counterparts in other parts of the country. In a league table of maternity pay, Scotland sits at the bottom of British fire authorities.
The Fire Brigades Union will this week lobby MSPs at the Scottish Parliament to demand fair treatment for Scottish firefighters when it comes to maternity leave.
Firefighters are regularly exposed to hazards and toxic contaminants released from fires. Many are potentially damaging to healthy reproduction and can cause stress and a wide range of diseases such as cancers, strokes and heart disease.
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Underinvestment and cuts have imperilled Scottish firefighters’ ability to adequately respond to all manner of emergencies, writes JOHN McKENZIE