The army will not be able to cope if the State's firefighters go on strike, according to PDFORRA general secretary, Mr John Lucey. More than 1,500 firefighters are expected to endorse a call for industrial action when they meet in Dublin today.
Mr Lucey, the head of the main military staff association, said a 50 per cent reduction in the medical corps and significant cuts in the engineering corps meant the Army would not be able to cope. A strike by Dublin Fire Brigade members would pose "an extreme threat to the public", he said, and a national strike would be "disastrous".
An Army spokesman confirmed that there had been significant reductions in the medical and engineering corps, but said the Army "has never received a request for emergency services that we didn't fulfil". If it was asked to provide cover in the event of a strike by firefighters, the request would be evaluated at the time. Other personnel could be trained, and Civil Defence personnel were also available.
The firefighters' dispute arises out of an alleged breach of pay parity between Dublin Fire Brigade members and gardai. Firefighters throughout the State have an automatic pay link with their Dublin colleagues, and all of them are likely to agree to a national strike ballot when they meet today in Liberty Hall.
Industrial action could begin as early as March 8th.
There is no voluntary code of practice covering the provision of emergency services in the fire services. During the last major dispute in 1988, no emergency cover was provided.
The Labour Court has awarded the 810 firefighters in Dublin a 7 per cent increase under the local bargaining clause of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. This is in return for productivity already conceded and future productivity to be agreed with Dublin Corporation within the next two months.
The chairman of Dublin Fire Brigade's SIPTU section, Mr Brian Murray, said the Garda had been given 7 per cent for far fewer productivity concessions, plus another 2 per cent as a down payment on productivity still to be negotiated. So far, 13 productivity measures have been conceded by SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade. These include amalgamation with the Dun Laoghaire service, the introduction of defibrillators to ambulances, liability to serve with the Irish Marine Emergency Service in combating fires at sea, and co-operation with new technology.
"This has to be put in comparison with the Garda", Mr Murray says. "They received 7 per cent for operating on-the-spot fines, training with PULSE (the new Garda computer system) and court appearances, plus 2 per cent for future productivity." He said if his members conceded all the measures required by Dublin Corporation, they would have nothing left to bargain with in return for future pay rises. That would result in a still wider gap between the pay of gardai and firefighters.
Dublin Corporation has accepted the Labour Court recommendation and has called on SIPTU to re-enter talks and seek agreement within the context of the award.