Sinn Féin TD John Brady has accused Minister Darragh O’Brien of once again failing the retained fire service.

His comments were made following today’s rejection by SIPTU-affiliated retained fire service members of a pay proposal relating to the retainer paid from the government and the LGMA, delivered via the WRC.

He said that the Minister must act immediately to address the fallout of what firefighters are describing as his betrayal of the retained fire service, which has a high probability of leading to a recommencement of industrial action.

Last year retained firefighters suspended planned industrial action to allow space for the Minster to fulfil his commitment to fight tooth and nail for a ‘significant increase’ to the retainer paid to retained firefighters.

Today, a bitterly disappointed majority of the members of the retained fire service voted to reject the WRC proposals, which they believe fell well short of what was intimated could be delivered with the support of the Minister.

Teachta Brady said:

“Yet again Minister Darragh O’Brien has failed the retained fire service. The Minister stood up in the Dáil and proclaimed himself as the Minister who would champion the needs of retained firefighters.

“RFF members previously suspended industrial action in good faith following assurances by the Minister. He has not delivered.

“Members of the retained fire service who I have talked to today, told me that the Minister deliberately misled them to get them off the picket line, and then once he had created space for himself, he stabbed them in the back through his failure to deliver on his pledge to support them.

“It is incredible that after a so-called giveaway budget, that the government with a surplus of €24bn has failed to seize the opportunity to bring the RFF into the 21st century.

“We are now faced with the reality that there is a high probability of a return to industrial action by the firefighters, as yet again the government does not see fit to follow through with their commitments to champion retained firefighters and give them a decent wage.

“There is no way that retained firefighters should have been put in this position. They have been lied to by the government, and have been treated with contempt by Minister O’Brien.

“The responsibility for this situation lies clearly with Minister Darragh O’Brien. He needs to act now to clean up this mess of his own creation. He needs to deliver on the commitments that he has given to the retained firefighters.”