Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Our retained firefighters came off the picket lines recently in anticipation of a decent financial resolution for their claim. They set great faith in our commitments to them, but it is fair to say that they are less than enthused by discussions at the WRC. As it stands, the offer to them is €750. That is a derisory amount; no more than €14 a week. I have met several retained firefighters in recent days. While the union has pitched the claim at €10,000 per annum, I feel there is a sweet spot of about €5,000, or €100 per week. It is important that the situation is not allowed to fester and be dragged out. These firefighters perform an important service, in particular in rural Ireland. We need to do right by these highly valued employees, recognise their work and duly reward their efforts in what are often dangerous and life-threatening situations.

See this speech in context