LAST UPDATE | 13 Jun 2023

UP TO 50% of fire stations in service could close today due to industrial action by some retained firefighters in a dispute over staff recruitment and retention.

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 will take part in today’s “co-ordinated strike action” due to what the trade union describes as a “staffing crisis which threatens this vital community resource”.

In a statement, Siptu’s community division organiser Karan O’Loughlin acknowledged that today’s strike action “will result in very serious disruption to services”.

She added: “However, they have been left with no option but to commence it as the very future of the service is in doubt if the current crisis in recruitment and retention of firefighters is not resolved.”

The industrial action began last week with retain firefighters refusing to engage with scheduled training and courses, large amounts of paperwork, and standard firefighting communications technology for the incident command system.

However, they continued to respond to emergency callouts as normal.

During an interview with RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, O’Loughlin said that “not every 999 call is an emergency and there would have to be very significant and solid engagement at local level to ensure that the emergencies that are a threat to life or a threat of serious injury are identified”. 

Speaking during Leaders’ Questions today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he hoped both sides could re-engage to find a solution. 

Firefighters offer an excellent service, said Varadkar, adding that there is an agreement under the public pay deal that has been agreed by both sides. 

He said the Government has been working on the matter for a number of months now, stating that the Government “values the work of our team of firefighters”.

“They’re highly committed frontline responders providing an exceptional service in their communities and across the state. And we know that their terms and conditions need to improve. We’re committed to making that happen,” he said. 

‘All-out strikes’

Siptu sector organiser Brendan O’Brien said in a statement: “Retained firefighters are striking to ensure that a government report on the future of the service is implemented in full in order to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis that threatens to collapse this essential community resource.”

He also said that Siptu members in the Retained Fire Service will “escalate their industrial action to a full all-out strike on 20 June if the measures that are necessary to safeguard the future operation of this vital resource are not implemented”.

O’Loughlin told Morning Ireland that an “all-out strike” would mean that “all of the stations will close”. 

O’Loughlin said in the statement Siptu received a phone call yesterday from representatives of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien.

“In this call, the Minister’s representatives expressed concern over the possible impact of the dispute on emergency services,” said O’Loughlin.

“They also informed the union that the Minister will deliver ‘a positive statement’ in relation to the dispute in a Dáil debate on the matter today.”

O’Loughlin said Siptu members will “evaluate this statement after it is delivered but have no option but to proceed with strike action as planned”.

It’s understood that Minister O’Brien will make a statement this afternoon.

Labour Senator for Dublin Central, Marie Sherlock, told reporters at Leinster House today that her party stands with retained firefighters and that “a lot is riding on Minister O’Brien”.

“We’re now in a frankly disgraceful situation where 50% of firefighters had to go on strike today,” she said.

“There’s a real element here that the Custom House has buried its head in the sand over a number of years,” Sherlock said, referring to the building that houses O’Brien’s department.

“Both with regards to retained firefighters and issues with Dublin Fire Brigade, this is an issue with safety in people’s communities and also their lives. There’s a lot riding on the Minister for Housing and Local Government and his statement today.”

Speaking two weeks ago, O’Brien, told the Dáil that strike action from retained firefighters was unnecessary.

Responding to questions from Labour TD Duncan Smith, O’Brien said the remaining issues between firefighters and his department could be resolved without industrial action and were “very small” in number.

He added that contingency plans were being worked on by local authorities.

“I don’t believe strike action is necessary. There’s a small number of issues that remain that can be worked out.”

“We’ve made real progress on the rostering, we’re progressing on time off, we’ll probably progress on allowances also. I want this resolved.”

With reporting by Hayley Halpin and Jamie McCarron