Council workers set for strike action next week

Vital fire fighting and water services are set to be impacted in Tipperary and other parts of the country next week as local authority workers are due to begin industrial action.

Nenagh councillor Seamus Morris has warned that the separate actions by retained fire fighters and council water staff could lead to “pandemonium” if planned strike by the staff in the two departments go ahead.

SIPTU members employed as Retained Fire Services firefighters by councils across the country are set to begin a campaign of industrial action on Tuesday next, June 6, in a dispute the union says has resulted from the failure of management to adequately address a worsening recruitment and retention crisis in the sector.

SIPTU spokesman, Brendan O’ Brien said: “The campaign of industrial action will commence on June 6 with members restricting their work to only responding to emergency calls.

“This will involve non-cooperation with training, drills and radio calls through the emergency centres being replaced by the use of mobile calls to fire service management.”

The union said that on June 13 a series of rolling work stoppages are scheduled to commence, with the action set to escalate to all-out strike action on June 20 if the dispute has not been resolved.

The union said many firefighters were unable to take their leave entitlements due to staff shortages and they have also seen their incomes drastically reduced due to reductions in callouts over the last number of years, as well as out restrictions imposed by the Fire Service.

WATER WORKERS

Meanwhile, SIPTU representatives confirmed that they had served notice to strike and industrial action on 30 local authorities around the country in relation to issues experienced by water services staff around planned transfers of personnel from councils to Uisce Éireann.

Stephen Kelly, water workers and Chair of the SIPTU national negotiating committee, said: “We have taken the difficult step of serving notice on local authorities. There will be a two-day strike on June 7-8, followed immediately by a series of industrial actions.

“It is unfortunate that it has come to this, but water workers have to ensure that they will not be at a financial loss should they choose to remain with their local authorities. While we have been given commitments in relation to regular rostered overtime, there is no such confirmation on allowances.”

The union has warned that once the industrial action starts “there will be water shortages and boil water notices as the ongoing quality of water cannot be monitored in the normal way”.

The union said the decision to take strike action had been difficult for water service workers, “but the frustrations and tensions on the ground are very high.”