UK firefighters face £15,000 postcode lottery on maternity pay, says union

Exclusive: FBU says finding that some women can earn thousands less on year's leave shows female members are undervalued

Female firefighters face a postcode lottery in which they can earn more than 15,000 less while on a year's maternity leave than their colleagues elsewhere in the UK, their representatives have said.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said its analysis showed female members were being systematically undervalued", and is calling for maternity leave to be full pay for a year, regardless of where in the UK a firefighter is based.