By HELENE MULHOLLAND
The Guardian (Britain)
The government today averted the threat of national strike action by finally agreeing to union demands to withdraw controversial pension changes.
The 11th-hour move by ministers to withdraw a proposed increase in the retirement age for all firefighters in 2013 persuaded the Fire Brigades Union to stall a ballot of over 53,000 firefighters for industrial action at an emergency conference.
The conference was due to recommend a ballot for strike action after the government refused to offer firefighters the same lifetime protection from pension changes afforded to other 999 emergency colleagues, including police and ambulance staff.
Full Story: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/unions/story/0,,1711433,00.html