Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As I speak, retained firefighters are on strike. Rolling work stoppages will see half the fire stations in the service shut. Tis will be followed by all-out strike action next week outside of emergency calls. The strike is unprecedented and certainly has not been undertaken lightly. Retained firefighters have been pushed to the very brink by the Government and feel they have been left with no choice. They are the very best of our communities. They do their jobs under incredibly difficult circumstances, acting as first responders at scenes most of us could never even imagine. They are saving lives while often putting their own lives on the line. Their work is essential, highly skilled, lifesaving and totally undervalued by this Government.

Retained firefighters are at their wits' end. They are on call 24-7, 50 weeks of the year. They are underpaid and overstretched, and feel totally let down. For years they have urged the Government to deliver a proper plan to ensure they have safe working conditions and fair pay, but the Government has buried its head in the sand. Fire services should be a basic public service that communities can rely on and not an optional luxury. Years of underinvestment and failure to plan by the Government have seen these services run into the ground and there is now clearly a recruitment and retention crisis. Staff shortages are worryingly common and unions warn that staff levels are often dangerously low. Indeed, some fire authorities have been forced to temporarily close stations due to unsafe staffing levels. There is a real risk that all of this could get even worse. The Government's most recent review reveals that 58% of current retained firefighters warned they were likely to leave the service within the next three years, forced to give up a job they love because they cannot continue. Negotiations with the firefighters' representatives have been insufficient and in any event have broken down.

Tá an tseirbhís dóiteáin atá ar bhonn páirtaimseartha faoi bhrú. Níl an dara rogha acu ach dul ar stailc. Leis na blianta gan infheistíocht cheart agus ceannaireacht lag ón Rialtas, ní mór don Rialtas plean Shinn Féin a chur i bhfeidhm agus a chinntiú go bhfaigheann foireann na seirbhíse dóiteáin an pá cothrom agus na cúinsí oibre sábháilte atá á lorg acu.

Sinn Féin has brought forward solutions to resolve for this matter and our proposals will come before the Dáil tonight. Our plan urges the Government to engage in proper good-faith negotiations with representatives of the retained firefighters to address their concerns without delay and to prevent any further escalation of industrial action. This needs to happen urgently. Our plan would empower the Government to bring forward a financial investment package to ensure the service gets the funding and resourcing it needs. This would allow for the creation of a system with safe staffing levels. Will the Taoiseach stand with our firefighters? Will he back Sinn Féin's plan to support the retained fire services? Will he support our motion tonight?

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