Firefighters in Scotland have rejected a pay offer amid a dispute over proposed new duties.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) rejected the offer from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) by a margin of 60 per cent to 40% on an 81% turnout.

The FBU says plans for firefighters to take on “significant areas” of health and social care work would see them attend incidents involving “slips, trips and falls”, and cardiac arrest emergencies.

FBU Scotland secretary Denise Christie said: “The consensus is clear; we want and deserve a pay increase, but the offer in its current form is unacceptable.

“We’ve been consistent throughout negotiations. Real progress has been made since the last offer was rejected in June, but some serious changes are needed to make this acceptable to our members.”

Firefighters in Scotland and control staff previously rejected a pay offer in July.

That initial offer was refused.

That would have seen firefighters’ basic pay rise in stages from October 2019 to July 2022 by 14.74%, with an overall increase from July 2019 to July 2022 of 17%.