RETAINED FIREFIGHTERS ARE expected to ballot for strike action this month due to dissatisfaction with proposals made by the Labour Court in an effort to resolve the ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
It comes despite a warning from Housing and Local Government Minister Darragh O’Brien that a “protracted period of industrial action would serve no one”.
The Retained Fire Service is a 2,000 strong part-time workforce which provides fire and first responder emergency services across the country.
Siptu members employed as Retained Fire Services firefighters are seeking an improvement in pay and working conditions to address what it describes as a “staffing crisis which threatens this vital community resource”.
It said that many firefighters are unable to take their leave entitlements due to staff shortages and have also seen their incomes drastically reduced due to reductions in call-outs over the last number of years.
Firefighters had taken industrial action last month. However, further strikes were called off after the Labour Court agreed to hold a formal hearing.
The court made ten recommendations in relation to the ongoing dispute on Tuesday.
Among the recommendations was that staff at retained stations be increased to 12, allowing a crew of six to be rostered on while an alternate crew of six is rostered off.
This would see an increase of around 400 staff and reduce the liability of each firefighter to respond to alerts from 75% of all alerts to 45% of alerts “without reduction or negative effect on the value of the Retainer payment”, the recommendation reads.
The Labour Court also recommended that the retainer be increased by between 24.1% and 32.7%. This would mean a firefighter on an annual retainer of €8,870 would see it increase to €11,769 from 1 October.
Karan O Loughlin, SIPTU Public Administration and Community Division Organiser, has said the union’s retained firefighters are expected to reject the proposals and return to strike action.
In a statement to The Journal this evening, O Loughlin said the ballot is being organised and the result will be available next week.
“I don’t have a comment on the Minister’s statement. We will let the ballot result speak for itself,” she said.
Today, Darragh O’Brien urged the union to accept the proposals, which he said “will provide for a significant improvement to the work-life balance of retained firefighters.”
“The recommended increase in minimum crewing levels in all stations to 12 firefighters, which will see an increase of approximately 20% in operational fire service numbers (400 fire service personnel), would allow retained firefighters to have time off of up to 20 weeks per annum away from the fire-ground,” O’Brien said.
He said the changes to core pay elements “are a strong foundation to build on further in the imminent national pay talks”.
“While I understand that the Labour Court recommendation does not meet the expectations of firefighters, rejection of these recommendations would only serve to further entrench positions and make a resolution to this dispute more complex and difficult to achieve.
“I believe that a protracted period of industrial action would serve no one. We all want to protect our communities, to keep them safe and be there to support them through times of need.”
He added that accepting the recommendations will not prejudice upcoming pay talks for retained firefighters. “They will start those negotiations approximately €6,000 per year better off if this ballot is accepted.
“The Government encourages both sides to engage fully in this process and hopes that, with talks on a new national pay agreement in the coming weeks, there can be a positive outcome to the SIPTU ballot for the benefit of all.”
However, opposition parties have said the Government must re-engage with retained firefighters in order to avoid a strike.
Sinn Féin TD John Brady accused the Government of lacking “the political will to grasp the opportunity to address the core issues at the heart of the recruitment and retention crisis in the Retained Fire Service”.
“Through my ongoing engagement with members of the National Retained Firefighters Association (NRFA), I am very aware that the core issues in this crisis centre around work-life balance, and that they are resolute on what needs to be done to address the recruitment and retention crisis,” he said.
“Minister Darragh O’Brien, and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, have failed to step up to the plate and end this dispute with a credible offer genuinely designed to address the core pay issues in the Retained Fire Service.”
Brady added that if the Government does not act, it will be “responsible” for the likely recommencement of industrial action.
“Minister O’Brien must secure agreement with DPER to ensure that retained fire fighters receive the fair deal from this government that is long overdue.”
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the Government must outline what steps it will take to avert strike action by retained firefighters if SIPTU members reject the Labour Court proposals.
“The feedback I have received is that the firefighters are disappointed with the offer on the table, which they feel does not address the low retainer they are paid or the precarious elements of their working structure, such as call-out payments,” she said.
“We are talking about workers who provide a life and death service. In my Wicklow constituency, for instance, we would not have a fire service without the commitment and dedication of retained firefighters.
“We deserve to have a functioning fire service around the country – one that respects the role of retained firefighters and the valuable work they do.
“With the Dáil about to go into recess for the next two months, the Government urgently needs a plan B. It must immediately re-engage with the industrial relations process if the Labour Court’s recommendations are rejected by these essential workers.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say