Offaly retained firefighters agree to postpone all out strike as talks set for next Monday

TALKS aimed at finding a resolution to a dispute by retained firefighters will get underway on Monday June 26.

An all our strike which was due to take place today Tuesday June 20 was postponed pending the recommendations of the Labour Court hearing which will take place in Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

SIPTU has agreed that no escalation of industrial action will take place

Retained firefighters in Offaly joined their colleagues around the country last week when they refused to undertake certain duties, including paper work, drills and training.

Last Friday June 16, SIPTU members in Tullamore, Clara, Birr, Ferbane and Edenderry mounted pickets outside the fire stations to draw attention to their plight. However, they were ready to respond any calls.

An escalation was due to take place today Tuesday June 20, when an all out strike was planned. Members said they would respond to life or death situations only.

This was suspended when the Labour Court invited representatives to talks.

The starting pay for a retained firefighter is €8,500 per annum. For this the firefighter is expected to be on call 24/7. He/she must live within a radius of two and half kilometres of the fire station.

Jimmy Beatty and Michael McEvoy of Tullamore Fire Service said,''the overriding issue is probably recruitment and retention. There is very little incentive for new firefighters to join the service in its present state,'' said Mr Beatty.

''We have a historical issue in Offaly going back a number of years when three fire stations in Offaly closed and the number of stations went from 8 down to 5. Issues have been stemming since then with recruitment,'' he said.

Both Jimmy Beatty and Michael McEvoy said the retained members are looking for an increase in their remuneration and more down time to spend with their families.

Retained firefighters get paid an annual allowance or retainer for being on call and carrying pagers.

''When it goes off we respond to the pager. We have to be at the fire station within 5 to 10 minutes. We have to be on the road almost a minute or two after that. It places an onus on us to be around the town the whole time. This puts pressure on our families as we are often not able to attend certain family occasions.''

Referring to the low pay, Mr Beatty said ''In this day and age with the price of property, where is a new recruit going to get a house within the radius of the fire station?''

He went on to explain that members get paid for a call out but added that in a rural area that may be as low as 30 to 40 calls per year.

''If you go into a bank and your only guaranteed income is €8,500 a year you would be laughed out of the place if you apply for a mortgage.'' he said.

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Barry Cowen,said he has raised the matter with the Minister with responsibility for the Fire Service.

Deputy Cowen said, "Our firefighters are an elite frontline service staffed by very dedicated and selfless people, serving their communities around the clock. My colleagues and I in Fianna Fáil are acutely aware of the invaluable service they provide that is essential to their communities.

"On raising this issue directly with Minister O'Brien, I was pleased to hear the Minister re-emphasise his personal commitment to solving this issue. The Minister provided reassurance that the Government will progress this critical issue, avert industrial action and the dangers that entails while reaching a fair settlement with retained firefighters that fully recognises their value.''

"I would like to acknowledge and welcome the efforts of all parties and particularly the dedication of retained firefighters that has served to minimise impact on the general public. Knowing the firefighter cohort as I do, I would not have expected any less from such a committed group of frontline workers.''

Carol Nolan TD was also outside Tullamore Fire Station to support the protest last Friday.

''We have never seen the fire service having to do this before, having to come out on the picket line. They were really forced onto it, because their calls for proper pay and conditions are not being listened to and there isn't enough support coming from Government. We need the political will.

As an independent TD, I fully support this. They do fantastic work. They dedicate so much of their time, and sacrifice so much of their time in order to make communities safe in all sorts of circumstances. I want to thank them for their good work and I want to assure them that I will continue to highlight the urgent need for fair pay and conditions,'' said Deputy Nolan.