FIRE fighters across the borough will be balloted for industrial action.

Voting forms are being sent to local crews and their colleagues across the country after talks between the Fire Brigades Union and the national employers' broke down on Tuesday.

FBU leaders and employers representatives have accused the Government of derailing the peace talks by flooding the joint meeting with London councillors -- most of them Labour -- to ensure a 13-10 vote against signing the deal.

Ulster Fire Authority chairman Bill Gillespie of the employers said he was disappointed by the failure to agree a deal. He is reported to have said: "We have been working for over a year, and have overcome obstacle after obstacle. I felt we had reached the end of the road and we should sign up.

"To be fair to the FBU they have played their part and met us half way. I'm particularly annoyed that nine out of the 13 people who voted against the deal I had never seen before at negotiations. It seems they were drafted in at the last minute."

An agreement would have led to pay awards of 3.5% backdated to last November and 4.2% from July 1 to be made. It also included all key elements of the Government's modernisation agenda, which have been formally agreed by the union but now rejected by the employers.

FBU Assistant general secretary Mike Fordham said: "I put every point to the employers' detailing the tactics used to block a deal and none of them denied it. They sat in silence and raised no objection.

"Their own side use the term conspiracy because that is what it was. They parachuted in councillors no one had ever seen before, none of whom had ever even sat on a fire authority.

"Nick Raynsford is the guiding hand behind the moves to block this deal and forcing a confrontation. We were ready to sign the deal and instead we are being forced to ballot.

Ballot papers will be sent out next week. The ballot is expected to run through the rest of August.