Retained firefighters will escalate their strike action this weekend as the row over pay and conditions continues.
All stations will “go dark” from 8am Saturday and will have no internal communications other than life saving information.
Firefighters will continue to attend emergencies.
It has been nine weeks since this industrial action commenced. The SIPTU union says that Government is still failing to respond to what it called their legitimate concerns. Concerns surround the recruitment and retention crisis, which relates to rules for staff which are seen as not fit for purpose.
“We work 24/7, for 48 weeks of the year, live and work (if you are lucky to have a job) within 2.5 km radius of your station. You need permission to leave that area, to have a night off, to look after your kids, which is a constant worry if left on your own. The small amount of money a new recruit gets, isn’t even enough to pay the rent on a house for the year. The retained model as it stands is at the end, we ask Government to come to the table with the will to bring this service into the 21st century,” said a spokesperson for the Donegal Firefighter’s Association.
The Retained Fire Service is a 2,000 strong part-time workforce which provides fire and first responder emergency services across the country. All 15 fire brigades in County Donegal are crewed by retained firefighters.
