FBU chief Andy Gilchrist

Fire fighters have voted to accept a staged pay deal by a margin of three to one despite pressure from union militants.

The decision to accept the two-year seven per cent agreement was taken after an individual postal ballot of all 52,000 FBU members.

Union hardliners had held out against the deal following claims that management had reneged on their side of the bargain.

But union members decided to accept the settlement after three years of wrangling over pay.

Despite the agreement FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist said employers would have to recognise their side of the bargain.

"Fire service staff have made a mature and difficult decision after a stupid move by the employers," he said.

"The decision to stagger the rise in two stages was pointless, self-defeating and an industrial relations disaster.

"It caused widespread unofficial action and wiped out months of hard work trying to rebuild trust and confidence.

"We had a deal and they broke it without gaining anything but the disgust of the public.

"We have agreed a raft of major changes which have now been delayed by the utter stupidity of fire service employers."

Gilchrist pledged to hold employers to account over the coming months.

"This is a period of major change in the fire service but after this many will be questioning the competence of management in actually carrying it out," he said.

"They now need to rethink how they are going to contribute to rebuilding the relationship with their staff which they have left in tatters.

"And they need to start by recommitting themselves to implementing this agreement in full."