Will the volunteer firefighters of Pas-de-Calais force the SDIS 62 management into a corner? Almost all of the volunteers have withdrawn their availability from 1 May to 15 May. They are protesting against the reduction in hourly allowances for night-time on-call duty. "The allowances are set to fall from nearly €5 at present to €2.50. The decision was voted through on Friday, despite our call for action.", one of the firefighters involved told our editorial team.
The 2,400 volunteer firefighters in Pas-de-Calais account for 65 per cent of the SDIS 62 workforce. They are an indispensable workforce. Whilst nearly 95 per cent of them have agreed not to be on call at night throughout the first fortnight of May, it will be the professional firefighters who will be called upon to make up for this shortfall.
If the board of directors does not reverse its decision and if "The protests are intensifying; the day will be affected as well" adds a representative. A online petition has already gathered more than 1,600 signatures. Watch this space.