Call for action as retained firefighters go on strike

Continued from Page 1. Paul said: “The older age profile of the service now endangers its effectiveness. We want increased structured pay and structured time off for staff that will attract young people to join the service.

“We also want further talks with key stakeholders that will conclude proposals, within an agreed timeframe for the restructuring of the Retained Fire Service to ensure its future operation.”

He added: “We are calling on members of the public to support the SIPTU Retained Firefighters in their campaign of industrial action.

“We would encourage people to raise the issue within their local community and with elected representatives.”

Speaking on the issue last week in the Dáil, Sinn Fein TD Ruairí OMurchú stated that ‘the dogs on the street’ knows that the situation with retained firefighters needs to be immediately addressed.

He said the government ‘lacks urgency’ in dealing with the industrial action by retained firefighters across the State, including in Dundalk, which started at midnight yesterday morning.Deputy Ó Murchú said: ‘In November, my Sinn Féin colleague John Brady introduced a Dáil motion that sought the establishment of a Joint Oireachtas cross-party com- mittee, to sit for four months, and that would have heard evidence from expert witnesses and stakeholders in order to identify the key issues impacting on the Retained Fire Service before bringing recommendations to the Dáil.

‘The government took the decision to vote against the motion, abandoning any attempt to resolve a crisis that is crippling the Retained Fire Service.

‘And now we are in a situation where retained firefighters, who have been highlighting the issues affecting the service for years to those in power, have, with reticence, started industrial action.

‘They don’t want to be here, they have tried everything else but the government has left them with no choice. They have had enough of being constantly under pressure for many reasons, of having to put themselves on the front line.

‘The government knows what needs to be done in relation to recruitment and retention. We are dealing with under-resourced, under-paid, dedicated professionals who have been working in an unsustainable system for years.

‘The government needs to immediately engage with the representatives of the retained firefighters to permanently resolve the problems the service has been facing for years’.

OnE 5km Challenge in Remembrance of Pte Sean Rooney

The event is open for registration at onechallenge.eu and consists of a 5km. Run/Walk between the 12th and 17th June countrywide. We also have registrations from australia, america and England. locally we will do the event on Saturday the17th at 12.00hrs at DkIT.

If you are registered come to DkIT and do your 5km run/walk and receive your medal. If you’re not registered come along and make a donation to do the run/walk, sorry, but you will not receive a medal.