Firefighters Consider Fresh Settlement Offer

Greystones firefighters strike 5AUG23

reystones firefighters have cautiously welcomed the design of a package that will help increase the number of new recruits to the service.

A major step forward in negotiations over pay and conditions, the package falls somewhat short of the fire service demands.

Following close to 12 hours of talks between the union SIPTU and the Local Government Management Agency at the Workplace Relations Commission, here are today’s proposals…

The principle of security of earnings has finally been accepted.

The payments identified below will be included with pay to provide regular, guaranteed income:

1. New recruits will enter the service with guaranteed minimum earnings of over €18,269. They will move to the second point of the scale after 1 year, will reach the maximum at 8 years and the local authority will pay for the C licence. Earnings above this will be considered in the normal manner, depending on the number of calls.
2. The top of the scale will now be 8 years for firefighters. This means that a firefighter who has worked for more than 8 years will receive a minimum guaranteed income of €21,567. Earnings above this will be considered in the normal way, depending on the number of calls.
3. Station officers will receive secure, minimum earnings of between €27,400 and €31,730.

The guaranteed pay is detailed below. It will be broken down and paid as regular income in the normal pay cycles (weekly, fortnightly or quarterly depending on the county):

⦿ Available time – 24 weeks in the year on a ‘week on/week off’ basis. This includes flexibility to swap days with colleagues and turn out on the week off.
⦿ Drills and training – Training will be paid at double time for each hour. This means €46.80 per hour, regardless of what time the drills or training are completed. 85% of this (or €2,340) will be put in the guaranteed pay column for regular payments. Any attendance above the 85% will be paid at the same rate as worked.
⦿ 40 of the community hours (or €936) will also be included in the guaranteed pay column. The other 40 hours will be made available to the station as a bank of hours to be used on a voluntary basis, if desired.
⦿ 75 hours of call outs will be included in guaranteed pay, this amounts to a figure of €1,775.

The retainer increase will follow the Labour Court recommendation. It will be addressed again in the public service pay talks, in which the normal percentage increases will apply in addition to another retainer increase.

The final terms in this area will not be known until the completion of the public service pay talks.

All other policy pieces in respect of the following will apply:

⦿ Premium hours for calls to start at 8.00 p.m.
⦿ Filling of promotional positions
⦿ Minimum of 12 crew in every one pump station
⦿ Hiring of 400 new recruits
⦿ Driver mechanic role to be retained
⦿ Whole-time station officers will articulate their position in writing through the union and the LGMA will undertake to engage on these issues as part of the phase two discussions
⦿ Policy pieces around local authority hiring practices for Retained Fire Fighters, sick pay, other types of statutory leave (maternity, parental, carers etc), and retirement age will be developed
⦿ The Department will support the union case with the Department of Social Protection to develop special social protection measures for Retained Fire Fighters and with Revenue for unique taxation consideration
⦿ There will be a review every six months to ensure that recruitment is on track and that policy pieces are functioning

The full list of Workplace Relations Commission’s recommendations has yet to be seen. Meanwhile, that cautious welcome to the above is addressed by one Wicklow firefighter, who wishes to remain anonymous…

“Firstly, the income earned by drills, 40 hours community work and 75 hours prepaid call-out hours are time worked; it represents no additional income just up-fronting income that you will have to work for regardless. So this does not represent an increase in the wage which previously came in at approximately €1.24 per hour based on a 24 hour on-call basis. It is noted that the drill rate will be paid as a double-hourrate, which is welcome.

“With respect to the objective for both parties to achieve a week-on, week-off for fire fighters and allow for a better work-life balance, this cannot be achieved with 12 personnel in a single pump station, many of which have special tenders (additional trucks). It allows for no resilience in the event of employees out sick, maternity or paternity leave, holidays, on-course requirements (of which there are many). This number needs to be at a minimum of 14 or 15.

“It is noted that there will be a phase two to the proposal based on a promise by government that the retainer will be increased (and other additional issues such as pension, etc, will be dealt with) once they can do so outside of the national pay agreement, building momentum, which should be happening in October.

“Unfortunately, there is little trust amongst firefighters for future promises. We have been let down numerous times before. The general feeling is to either look for a national reform of the service and therefore allow for change outside of building momentum, or continue industrial action till the government is ready to provide a full package that leaves firefighters in no doubt of what they are signing up for to secure the future of our fire service.

Today seems to be a step in the right direction, but it would appear this firefighter stand-off is far from being stood down.