Firefighters in Laois and other counties to suspend action

Thousands of striking firefighters in Laois and around Ireland have suspended their industrial action so that talks can proceed in the Labour Court.

The trade union SIPTU has accepted an offer of talks in the Labour Court in the dispute over pay and a wide range of conditions.

Industrial action began on June 6 and escalated on June 13 with rolling strikes to an average of 50% of retained fire stations and ultimately. An all-out strike was due to start on June 20.

Mass resignations from the service were also on the cards.

The strike made it to the floor of the Dáil this week when a pager was presented to a Government Minister at the request of a striking firefighter.

SIPTU confirmed that it had received an invite from the Labour Court to exploratory discussions. 

The Labour Court has separately written to the Local Government Management Association (LGMA), as the employer in the dispute, requesting its attendance at the talks. 

SIPTU Public Administration and Community Division Organiser, Karan O Loughlin, said: “The SIPTU National Committee for Retained Firefighters, today (Friday, 16th June) unanimously agreed to suspend all industrial action and strike action for a period of 24 hours commencing at 12.01 am on Monday in order to facilitate the explanatory discussions at the Labour Court.

She added: “While our members appreciate the intervention of the Court in this matter, the resolution to this dispute will be complex and difficult. However, the SIPTU negotiating committee have agreed to attend and will make every effort to create the space for a resolution to this dispute.”

SIPTU Sector Organiser Brendan O’Brien, said: “The SIPTU negotiating committee will do their utmost on Monday but it is imperative that the employers attend this meeting with a willingness to engage in a manner that they have not done to date. There must be a willingness to acknowledge that there needs to be resources put into the Retained Fire Service in order to commence its rebuilding. There must also be proper remuneration of firefighters to reflect the responsibilities of their job.”