Kilkenny retained firefighters to ballot for strike action

SIPTU-retained firefighters throughout Kilkenny have been issued with a notice of ballot for industrial and strike action to Kilkenny County Council.

SIPTU-retained firefighters across the country will commence balloting for industrial and strike action from November 1 in a dispute over severe recruitment and retention issues related to their unsustainable, antiquated and discriminatory terms and conditions of employment.

SIPTU Industrial Organiser, Ger Malone, said:  “The ballot takes place against a backdrop of long-standing industrial issues stemming from the failures of government to adequately resource and fund the Retained Fire Services which members say is failing the public and retained Firefighters. Our members are being treated akin to slaves, with ongoing recruitment and retention difficulties attributable to seriously deficient rates of pay and having to live and remain within five minutes of their fire station all day every day in a state of readiness to go to whatever emergency that arises.

https://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/your-community/949748/alert-heavy-rain-likely-to-cause-flooding-overnight-in-kilkenny.html

"Our retained firefighters are on-call 24 hours a day 340 days a year for which they are paid
a retainer of between €8,539 to €11,446 per year (depending on their years of service) to be
available which equates to an average hourly payment of less than 50 cent per hour.

"A major problem for these firefighters is the restrictions placed on their lives and their families by having to remain within five minutes of the fire station, this in effect means that they are 'housebound' as even a short walk will make it impossible for them to get to the fire station within the mandatory five minutes and arriving late or missing the call could prove fatal for those depending on the emergency service. They are prohibited from doing normal activities that we all take for granted every day, such as bringing a child to school, walking to the shop, participating in team activities, visiting relatives, attending weddings or funerals even down to having a glass of wine with a meal."

"This time last year we surveyed the retained membership who all identified the two main issues as structured time off and consistent appropriate incomes. Following that we agreed to have facilitated sessions with the employer side with the understanding and acceptance that the model was not sustainable, unfortunately the local authority side has reneged on doing anything.

"These firefighters are all highly trained, professionals that deal with life and death situations in all sorts of scenarios. They are all highly committed to providing a 'world class fire service' and have been doing so for decades but they simply cannot and will not endure these conditions of employment any longer. The last collective agreement that was concluded with retained firefighters was 23 years ago and the entire work, social and economic landscape in this country has dramatically changed, consequently leaving this model redundant. The simple truth of this is, that retained firefighters cannot survive financially, mentally, or socially with this model and neither can their families.

"As far as we can see this Government wants a 'world class service' for 'Third World conditions' and that is not good enough for these exemplary professional workers or indeed any worker. This Government is decimating public services right across the country, and devaluing the cost of labour through privatisation, diminishing employment rights and protections, using fixed term contracts and other legislation avoidance tactics.

“The reality is that SIPTU members in the retained fire service are providing a first-class service and rightly so, that is what the public are entitled to but unfortunately unless the related issues of structured time off and adequate consistent incomes are provided this model and service will collapse.

"We are calling on politicians and the public to support these firefighters in achieving a
sustainable model that provides decent pay and structured limited working hours that are
consistent with the European Working Time Directive which is based on ensuring that
workers health, safety and wellbeing are properly protected.