Mattie McGrath warns of 'inhuman' pay for retained firefighters

I am going to return to the gallant men and women of our fire services. Imagine if you were bound by restrictions that would prevent you from travelling beyond three kilometres from your place of work or home without permission and being on 24-7 calls for 48 weeks of the year. Think about the enormous impact this would have on your life, the life of your loved ones and families. You would expect that such an environment would be well-enumerated. Now imagine that your meagre guaranteed income for this life is around £8,500 a year. A pittance. This teacher is the reality for our whole-time firefighters who earn approximately £700 per month, which equates to £0.99 per hour. Just imagine. Would you take on the road that expects you to stay within three kilometres of your station for £0.99 per hour? COVID has ended for most of us, thankfully. They still live in COVID circumstances, confined to their bases, confined within three kilometres. It is inhuman. This is before we mention the dangers and the risks associated with their very important role. Now imagine that you give the commitment to your role and you are unable to apply for a care loan or a mortgage or any other kind of loan because you have subminential income and social welfare. I heard this morning from one of our firemen on Tipperary FM radio, from Clonmel and Nina, said he has attacks on that as well. It is an outrageous situation. This is a sad reality for brave men and women of our retained fire service. The fact is that the Irish retained fire fighters are at the cold face of every human disaster and right across the state. Now they are called in, especially in Dublin, and we met them recently in Bray actually here. They are called in regularly now for the inadequate ambulance services there and they are called in to replace. I know they knew the ambulance service in Dublin, but this is outside of Dublin. They are called in to assist cardiac arrest and got no accidents, everything, because the ambulances are not there and they are travelling up and down the country in another failed system. Our firefighters, as I said, I do not have to say what they do. They save so many lives. They put their own lives and that of their families on the line. Just imagine today they are forced to go out on an industrial action, because 22 years ago Minister Noel Dempsey promised to resolve this. That is how bad it is. Now we have almost 60 per cent saying they will leave in the next two or three years. They are leaving like snow off a ditch because they cannot do this any more, even though they want to do it. They want to serve the people. They want to help their communities and their neighbours, but they cannot afford to stay. It is devastating on their family lives. And then you are telling them that they are in negotiations and the government have accepted the report. You have not. Because the LGMA are stopping and not engaging and talking. 50 million euros will solve this out for these Gannon men and women, as I said, and their families, but you will not give it to them. And the Minister O'Brien stands up here and we want to sort it. Get around the table and take out that layer like you have with the HSE, the LGMA. They are saying that we have the money from the government and we cannot pay you. So the typical spin here and the typical passing of the book is to sort out our fire services for once and for all, 22 years later. From that word of Minister Noel Dempsey at the time, that long ago. So it is time they have the respect they deserve. Thanks, Deputy. I think we all acknowledge that the way I retain fire services has changed down the years. There is a retainer payment and then there are call-out payments. And because of improvements in fire safety, the number of call-out payments has reduced. And that needs to be reflected in changes to their terms and conditions. And we acknowledge that as a government. As I said earlier, an offer has been made, which includes a 20% increase in staff with a minimum of 12 firefighters at each station. Structured time off, individual flexibility with regard to availability, 50 additional promotional positions around the country. And also flexibility to attend calls when on scheduled leave, if desired. But we have a pay deal between the government and the trade unions, which involves pay increases across the board, across the year. We have to honour that agreement and the union side have to honour that agreement as well. And we expect that to be done. The talks so far have not been successful, but they can resume. And as I said, these disputes are always resolved in the end. And if needs be, they can be resolved at the Workplace Relations Commission. And that Office of Government is available to assist, should both sides be willing to engage. The answer is not satisfactory at all. Because the elephant in the room here seems to be the LGMA. They say they have the money from you. So cut out all the other engagements and movements or shapes that are going around. All the stations in Tipperary have staff shortages. With three officers short in Tannmill and two short in Nina. Tipperary Town cannot put out a second crew. And many other small towns like that. They can't give me cases from Skipperringing and places like that. We will have to wait an hour to get a tender from some other county. And that is the same for all of us in rural Ireland and urban Ireland. When people wait, when they are called out, they are not called unless they are needed. And they will come in all weather and all times. Even during the adjusted action, there is cover. I want to acknowledge them for that. But they need to get fair play here. They need to not have the three-way system here that the LGMA are blaming the government. And you are blaming the LGMA and the firefighters. We need to sort this issue. It should not be beyond surmountable to solve it after 22 years of neglect. And you talk about different changes and whatever went on. That is no good to them. You have the figures. You have met and listened to them, I am sure. As well as me and my colleagues here on the Rural Independence. They need to be helped and sorted out. They do not ask often. We ask a lot of them. Now we are asking that you sit up and listen. Engage with them. And cut out intermediaries that have no money to solve the deal. £50 million will solve the problem. Thank you Deputy. I have not engaged in any blaming. The blame game has only come from the opposition benches today on this matter. As I said earlier, we value the work of retained firefighters, highly committed people in communities across the country who provide an exceptional service. All industrial relations disputes are resolved in the end. They are resolved by negotiations and government is willing to engage. And as is often the case Deputy, matters that cannot be resolved have to go to WRC or the Labour Court. And those offices of Government are available to intervene. Thank you very much.