John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, retained fire fighters rejected a paltry offer from the Government in relation to their retainer payment. This is yet another slap in the face for retained fire fighters right across the State. Last year, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, stated he would be their champion and fight tooth and nail for a significant increase in the retainer payment. This led to a suspension of industrial action that was in place at the time to create a space for these issues to be resolved. Despite having a €24 billion surplus in the budget the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Government have effectively stabbed the retained fire fighters in the back and we are now on the brink of the firefighters recommencing their suspended industrial action. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, simply lied to the firefighters last year to get them to off the picket line.

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