The Labour Court has released 10 recommendations over the dispute between retained firefighters and the Local Government Management Agency, following a range of discussions in the last month.
According to firefighters, a recruitment and retention crisis in the service means that many members are unable to take their leave entitlements.
Members of the retained service are part-time firefighters who are paid an annual retainer to be available for callouts.
The Local Government Management Agency and SIPTU were invited by the Labour Court to enter discussions, days before industrial action would have seen a full withdrawal of services by retained firefighters.
The Labour Court Recommendation, which has been seen by the Shannonside FM Newsroom, calls for staff at retained stations to be increased to 12, thereby allowing a crew of six to be rostered on, while an alternate crew is off.
The plans would see an increase of approximately 400 staff and thereby reduce the liability of each firefighter to respond to alerts from 75% to 45% of alerts.
The Court also called for a ‘very urgent effort to be made to fill all current vacancies in the service’ including vacancies arising from the implementation of staffing recommendations.
The issue of retainers and payments has also been a pressure point for both sides, with firefighters arguing that the rates have not keep pace with the increasing demands of the job and the growing cost of living.
Following discussions and analysis, the Labour court has called for an increase across the scale of between 24.1% to 32.7%
Other recommendations included in the report are that policies should be developed and standardised in relation to sick leave and all forms of statutory leave, that arrangements be put in place to implement community-based fire prevention programmes involving Retained Firefighters and that each Retained Firefighter be issued with a Number 1 Dress Uniform.
The recommendations have now been sent to both parties for examination.
