Essex firefighters have been among those who have fought bitter battles against government-driven cutsin services Such a step, against a TUC-affiliated union which pays a political levy to the Labour Party would in normal circumstances be met by an explosive reaction from other union leadsrs.
But the public reaction to the leaked letter was almost non-existent, a worrying symptom of the moral collapse of the union bureaucracy before the machinery of New Labour.
FBU leader Ken Cameron, to his credit, has been forthright in condemning the government intervention on the side of the employers "without having the decency to meet the union and find out our point of view."
Firefighters have been concerned that the government has been OFFICIAL PICKET