Airport firefighters take part in an exercise last month.

A FULL tribunal of inquiry will be held into what led to the breakdown of pay talks and strike action by the airport firefighters in May.

It comes after a petition, signed by 18 deputies and led by Deputy Mary Lowe, was successfully voted through by States members yesterday lunchtime.

When it will take place, or how much it will cost, is still unknown, but requete leader Deputy Lowe said it was the only real option left to allow deputies to get to the bottom of what went on in the build-up to action at the airport.

More importantly, the tribunal, which will be open to the public, would be completely independent.

It means that a review planned by the Scrutiny Committee, which would have had several deputies sitting on its panel, will now be suspended indefinitely.

However, Unite’s Ron Le Cras, who represented the airport firemen in the dispute, and who sat in the public gallery as the vote of the requete was recorded, said it was a potentially damaging decision. Meanwhile, Scrutiny chairman Barry Brehaut said it had shown the States had an overwhelming lack of confidence in the committee’s ability, as it currently stands, to carry out its mandate.