Unions and Government representatives will return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today in a bid to resolve an ongoing pay row involving retained firefighters.
In May, SIPTU described an offer from the Government to increase the retainer paid to the part-time firefighters as unacceptably low.
It followed a meeting with officials from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
SIPTU said at the time that an initial offer that was made at the meeting was nowhere near the required amount to resolve the dispute.
It is understood the first offer was to increase the annual retainer by €300 and that the improved offer amounted to an increase of €750.
At the time, SIPTU said it felt extremely let down by the approach being taken by the Government, adding that the pay offer would have to be improved to avoid an escalation of the dispute.
In June last year, around 2,000 retained firefighters began a campaign of industrial action demanding better pay and conditions, with pickets placed across 200 retained fire stations.
In August 2023, the action was suspended after agreement was reached at the WRC which proposed increased retainer payments and restructured working hours.
