Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has encouraged unions to resume industrial relations talks following concerns that retained firefighters are considering resigning “in large numbers”.
The Dáil was nearly suspended on Thursday following a fiery row between Minister O’Brien and Sinn Féin about the ongoing strikes.
There are approximately 2,000 SIPTU union members who work as retained firefighters at more than 200 fire stations around the State, providing fire and first-responder emergency services. Although they are required to be on call, they are not considered full-time employees.