A major new row flared today in talks to end the firefighters' strike over claims that Northern Ireland employers have been shut out of negotiations.
Furious bosses at Fire Authority headquarters in Lisburn, Co Antrim, have written to the chairman of the body bidding to broker a settlement demanding a seat at the table.
Northern Ireland representative Rosemary Craig claimed: "When they come in to begin negotiating I'm put out of the room. It's appalling because we have a completely different set up in our Fire Service."
With an eight-day strike set to begin on Friday, representatives from the 58 national employers and the Fire Brigades Union held urgent talks in London.
Efforts to end the pay dispute have centred on a powerful sub-committee of the National Joint Council where both sides argued their case.
Both the Local Government Authority (LGA) in England and the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) have been locked in discussions with union chiefs.
But the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland was dismayed to learn it was excluded - despite significant regional differences.
Local authorities in England and Scotland could bolster any wage increase decided on by Government by juggling their own budgets, but in Northern Ireland 100 per cent of the set funds come from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety at Stormont, it was claimed.
"We don't have money to shift round from other areas like roads and education," one source said.
PA