Firefighters from across Britain staged a noisy demonstration in Belfast today, threatening an all-out strike if their demands for pay increases were not met.
More than 3,000 firefighters waved banners and blew whistles in the protest.
The Fire Brigade's Union says the average wage of a firefighter of £21,000 sterling a year does not reflect the dangers they face every day.
They are seeking a 40 per cent jump in salary to lift their average annual pay to about £30,000.
"We're here today to highlight our claims for a fair living wage because the current pay scale doesn't reflect the dangers involved in the job," Mr Jim Barbour of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said.
"We're asking Prime Minister Tony Blair to loosen the purse strings and though we've said we don't want confrontation, we are heading towards strike action," he said.
The FBU, which represents thousands of firefighters across Britain, will meet on September 12th to discuss a national strike - the first in the British fire service for 25 years.
The Belfast rally follows similar action in other British cities earlier in the summer. Another demonstration is planned for London on September 2nd.