Dublin firefighters vote in favour of strike action

Siptu members at Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) have voted in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action.

The DFB said the ballot was taken in reaction to a decision by the chief executive of Dublin City Council to row back on an agreement made in May that approved plans to recruit new firefighters.

The decision had strong support from DFB’s Siptu members, with 96 per cent voting for industrial action and 87 per cent voting for strike action in a ballot counted on Tuesday in Liberty Hall, Dublin.

Siptu sector organiser Brendan O’Brien said, in addition to delays in the recruitment process, Dublin City Council management changed the terms of the plan from an open to closed application process for new roles.

According to Mr O’Brien, DFB is dealing with understaffing that has reached “crisis point”, saying that the brigade is “not guaranteed to have enough firefighters to ensure essential services”.

Siptu convenor Gerry Harris said that management at DFB had dealt with staff shortages by increasing overtime and cancelling safety training courses, which meant staff had been "exposed by management to increased and unacceptable levels of risk".

DFB representatives estimate that the staff is currently 70 firefighters below the required number to meet safety standards, with this figure expected to rise to 100 by January 2016.

A strike committee representing DFB and Siptu will be convened to decide on what course of action will be taken.