Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan, Deputy Pauline Tully says the Government has let down the Retained Fire Service and its members. She was speaking following the announcement that SIPTU, which have been representing the Retained Fire Fighters in their dispute with the Government at the Labour Court where a resolution to the issues had been sought, is to recommend that retained fire fighters reject proposals brought forward by the Labour Court.
Deputy Tully says it's "disappointing" to see that the Government lacks the political will to grasp the opportunity to address the core issues at the heart of the recruitment and retention crisis in the Service.
She highlighted how retained fire fighters across Cavan and Monaghan deserve to be paid properly for the valuable work that the do. Deputy Tully added that the Government is ignoring calls to end the dispute by meeting the firefighters' demands.
Deputy Tully continued; "The Government insists on ignoring repeated calls for by Sinn Féin for Minister Darragh O'Brien, and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe to step up to the plate and end this dispute by authorising the introduction of a credible offer, that is genuinely designed to address the core pay issues in the Retained Fire Service.
"If the Government continues to fail to act, it will be responsible for precipitating the likely re-commencement of industrial action by firefighters who had previously voted in overwhelming numbers in favour of industrial and strike action, but who had suspended strike action pending the conclusion of the Labour Court hearing.
"Minister O'Brien must secure agreement with DPER to ensure that retained fire fighters in Cavan-Monaghan receive the fair deal from this government that is long overdue," she said.
