Rescue 118 to ground this afternoon over job fears
The Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue (SAR) crews are concerned over their future employment after the SAR contract was awarded to a new company by the Department of Transport
The Rescue 118 helicopter will be stood down for an hour this afternoon amid concerns of its crew over future employment.
Rescue 118 is based at Strandhill airport in Sligo and covers Donegal.
In 2022, Rescue 118 had almost 270 missions, many of which were in Donegal.
All four Irish Coast Guard helicopters will be ‘off line’ from the bases in Sligo, Shannon, Dublin and Waterford between 12pm-2pm.
Operations will be delivered on a limited basis. Staff at Shannon and Dublin will be grounded from 12-1pm with Sligo and Waterford operations going offline from 2-3pm.
CHC Ireland currently hold the contact for the search fan rescue helicopters, but a handover will take place in July, 2025 to Bristow Ireland Ltd, who have been awarded the Search and Rescue (SAR) contract.
Bristow Ireland Ltd have not yet opened dialogue with CHC Ireland concerning the future employment of staff.
There are 155 staff, including pilots, co-pilots, winch operators, engineers and administrators, whose stress is now said to be ‘elevated’.
“Aviators, who are under a licence, have a legal obligation to step down and step back when they are feeling stress which could impact their safety and the safety of those they rescue,” a spokesperson for CHC Ireland said.
“Lack of confirmation re continuity of employment, under TUPE Regulations, for CHC staff has led to elevated levels of stress amongst staff and therefore, the safety stand down is necessary at this time.”
TUPE regulations relate to undertakings on transfer of employees to new employers under a 2003 EU regulation.
Rob Tatten, CHC Director of Operations and Accountable Manager Ireland, said: “It is incumbent on us to protect the safety and wellbeing of our staff. By taking this necessary measure we can ensure that we continue to operate safely, without outside distractions and remain focused on the life-saving work we do for the Irish Coast Guard.”