A Laois County Councillor and a Laois TD have thrown their support behind retained firefighters who are currently on strike.
Sinn Fein’s Aidan Mullins was on the picket line this morning in Portarlington.
Cllr Mullins said: “I was delighted to stand and support the Retained Firefighters who protested outside their Station in Portarlington this morning as part of their National Strike.
“They are being treated abysmally by the Government and really taken for granted.
“They put their lives at risk regularly while attending fires, road traffic accidents etc.
“The protest is not all about the pay or retainer fees which range from 8k to 11.5k euros per annum, a derisory amount by any standards.
“They are on call 24/7 which impacts their ability to live normal lives. They can’t go on day trips as they are restricted to 2.5 km from their station.
“They can’t be left alone with small children in case they get a call, they find it difficult to secure other employment and get a mortgage.
“The Portarlington station is currently understaffed with 5 retained firefighters and 2 young trainees and find it difficult to attract new recruits which won’t come as a surprise to anyone.
“The protest should be supported by the entire Community and the Government, which is telling us they have billions of a surplus, need to adequately compensate our firefighters.”
Laois Sinn Féin TD, Brian Stanley is calling on the Government and the Local Government Management Association (LGMA) to put realistic offers on the table to avert escalating strike action.
“I met firefighters again this week, who have outlined the recruitment and retention crisis that the Service is facing,” the Deputy said.
“They expressed their frustration with the lack of progress in discussions on pay and conditions with both Government and the LGMA.
“It’s not good enough any longer for the book to be passed around on this issue. The “Retained firefighters’’ model, as currently constructed, is no longer sustainable.
“On top of the recruitment crisis, a recent report commissioned by the Government found that 60% retained staff are considering leaving in the next 2 years.
“In some fire stations across Laois/Offaly staffing numbers are down to the minimum of 5. This in turn is compromising staff safety when they go out on call.
“A realistic offer needs to be put on the table by Government and the LGMA to avert the escalation of industrial action. It is needed also to attract new staff into the service and to deal with the retention crisis.
“It has proven to be impossible to recruit sufficient staff to work into a service where they are on call around the clock for 340 days per year. They must stay within 3 kms of the local fire station and comply with a host of conditions for a retainer salary of €8000 to €11,500 thousand per year.
“We in Sinn Féin have been liaising with their unions and workers representatives on this issue over the past year and we have been raising it with Ministers and Government in the Dáil.
“This week we are using our speaking time in the Dáil to impress on Government the importance of having a structured pay agreement and proper proposals on rosters and working conditions to be put on the table.
“This dispute will not be resolved without meaningful engagement by Government and LGMA,” Deputy Stanley concluded.
SEE ALSO – Laois retained fire service begin three weeks of industrial action amidst crisis
