The Essex Fire Brigades Union says no decision has yet been made on whether to ballot its members over possible strike action or not.
It comes in response to a statement by the County's Chief Fire Officer, David Johnson, which claimed the FBU had already decided to hold the ballot. It is the latest disagreement in a long running dispute over planned changes to the service.
Mr Johnson had said: "This is irresponsible and unnecessary, particularly in the run up to the Olympics. Frustrated at not being able to conduct any meaningful consultation over the last few months, Service Management agreed to union requests to bring in an external body to assist in securing a resolution, only to be met with another stream of conditions and demands.
"When we consider the fact that the current dispute actually has nothing to do with the one which union members were originally balloted for, it's frustrating to say the least. The FBU has been moving the goal posts each time we get nearer bringing matters to the table.
"The public in Essex should be reassured that we have built up strong resilience arrangements which provides me with sufficient confidence to give the assurance that fire engines will turn up at their door should they have reason to dial 999 during any firefighter strike."
However, Mick Rogers, FBU Brigade Secretary, said no such decision had been made: "There has been hard work put in behind the scenes to try and resolve our current dispute and avoid the need for a ballot over continued frontline cuts and impositions. We've had highly sensitive talks around the possibility of using appropriate conciliators to try and broker a deal to resolve the issues between us.
"The FBU has not made any final decision to ballot. We and others have been working very hard behind the scenes to reach agreement on a way forward using the agreed processes we are all signed up to.
"Once again, Mr Johnson's approach seems to be sending very clear signals that he is not serious about reaching agreement and remains hell-bent on confrontation. His comments are provoking fire crews across Essex and they are increasingly demanding a further ballot for industrial action although no final decision has yet been made.
"The intervention and its timing appear to us to be a bungling attempt to scupper talks and provoke strike action. They are unwelcome and unhelpful.
"Essex fire crews have been very patient, but their patience is running out. Senior union officials will spend the rest of today focusing on finding a way forward before final decisions are taken."
Both sides have said they would prefer to resolve the issue through discussions, although each has accused the other of trying to avoid this.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHAq6tnm59jwqx7xKyqnrBfo7K4v46lppyZnGSytL%2FEsWSnp12owbO1yp5km5mcoby1ecOemqKrmaS7brnAnZxmq5GuwG6ywa5m