SIPTU Firefighters have overwhelmingly voted in favour of taking industrial and strike action.
It comes after senior management in Dublin City Council attempted to break up the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) Emergency Medical Service by outsourcing its ambulance call and dispatch function.
SIPTU Firefighters voted by 93% to 7% in favour of strike action and 97% to 3% in favour of industrial action, in a ballot counted this morning Friday, 17th February in Liberty Hall, Dublin 1.
Speaking about the vote SIPTU Sector Organiser, Brendan O’Brien, said "Our members have given an emphatic mandate to the SIPTU DFB Strike Committee to take whatever industrial measures are required to resist the attempts to break-up the Emergency Medical Service."
SIPTU Public Administration and Community Organiser Division, John King, also said that "What the senior management of Dublin City Council is attempting by seeking to outsource the ambulance call and dispatch function of the DFB Emergency Medical Service would compromise the safety of our members, who deliver this critical lifesaving service, as well as expose the public to increased risk."
He finished by saying that "In the coming days, the SIPTU DFB Strike Committee will consider the options available to it and decide upon the next steps in our campaign to retain the DFB Emergency Medical Service as a fully functioning operation capable of delivering the best service possible to the residents of Dublin.
"SIPTU representatives remain available for meaningful engagement with the the senior management of Dublin City Council if it is genuinely interested in finding an acceptable resolution to this long running dispute."
