Retained firefighters to suspend strike action after Labour Court intervention

Muireann Duffy

Retained firefighters will suspend their industrial action following intervention by the Labour Court on Friday.

Retained firefighters staged rolling work stoppages from Tuesday, protesting against what they describe as unfair and unmanageable pay and conditions.

Fire crews around the county took to the picket lines this week, arguing that retained firefighters have received the same annual retainer of €8,500 for many years despite the increasing demands of the job and inflation.

🚨 Breaking #FireStrikes News | Labour Court intervenes in fire service dispute prior to closure of all stations on Tuesday.

More to follow… pic.twitter.com/QTtm2eTR1F

— SIPTU (@SIPTU) June 16, 2023

Shortly after 5.30pm on Friday, Siptu confirmed the industrial action has been suspended pending a meeting at the Labour Court on Monday.

The trade union accepted the invitation ahead of a planned all-out closure of retained fire stations on Tuesday.

The strikes will be suspended for 24 hours from 12.01am on Monday "in order to facilitate the explanatory discussions at the Labour Court," Siptu said.

"It is imperative that the employers attend this meeting with a willingness to engage in a manner that they have not done to date," the union added.

"There must also be proper remuneration of firefighters to reflect the responsibilities of their job," Siptu's sector organiser Brendan O’Brien said.