The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams has warned that lives could be lost if retained fire-fighters are not allowed to opt-out of European Union regulations on working times.
In a debate at the Assembly tomorrow, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will highlight concerns that stations in Wales, crewed by retained fire-fighters, could be under threat and vital emergency fire cover could be compromised.
Because the European Parliament, which included Labour MEP Eluned Morgan and Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans, voted against UK exemption from the directive limiting weekly working time to 48hrs, 1,836 retained fire-fighters could be forced to resign as fire-fighting work combined with their full-time jobs would exceed permitted working hours, putting the lives of many across Wales at risk.
Speaking at the Welsh party’s press conference this morning Kirsty said:
“Retained fire-fighters play an absolutely vital role in protecting the public in many parts across Wales. Given the rural nature of the land, retained fire-fighters are key in providing cover to these areas of Wales as full-time fire-fighters could not be employed to provide the same effective coverage as the retained fire-fighters.
“Employing the equivalent amount of full-time fire-fighters would be very costly and during a time when budgets are tight and are getting even tighter, this opt-out is vital to keep the Welsh public safe and protected.
“The Labour-Plaid government’s record of providing emergency services to the people of Wales is poor. From shocking ambulance waiting times to the Chief Constable of South Wales Police threatening to cut vital services due to unreasonable government budget restraints, it seems that even from Europe, Labour and Plaid are letting our emergency services down.
“We will fight, along with our colleagues in England and Scotland, to ensure that the right for retained fire fighters across Wales to opt-out from the European Working Time Directive is ensured so that the people of Wales are provided with safe and effective fire coverage.”
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