On Monday last, members of Dublin City Council voted unanimously for a Sinn Féin motion supporting Dublin’s retained firefighters in their bid to secure better pay and conditions, writes Rose Barrett.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Daithí Doolan (SF) said: “This vote is a major endorsement of the Retained Firefighters union in their struggle for decent pay and conditions. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien must wake up to the impending crisis in this sector.
“Retained firefighters provide an essential and lifesaving service to the public – but they earn a paltry 99c an hour for their essential, life-saving service – and they’re on call 24/7, 365 days a year. They have been left with no option but to issue strike notice to relevant parties. It comes as no surprise that the Retained Firefighters Service is struggling to maintain adequate numbers to allow for this essential service to continue,” he said.
Monday’s motion read: ‘Dublin City Council supports the Retained Fire and Rescue Service personnel and their continued struggle for improvements in pay, conditions and a decent work/life balance with agreed time off and call on the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Public Expenditure to provide the funding necessary to sustain and enhance the service now and for future generations.’
Cllr Doolan concluded: “The National Retained Firefighters Association is simply asking that it’s members receive a fair salary for a very difficult and dangerous job. Strike action can and must be averted. But it requires Minister O’Brien to fully engage with the union and ensure retained firefighters are paid and treated with the respect they deserve.”
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