Dublin corporation has reached agreement with unions representing fire fighters on a new procedure to conclude talks on productivity and pay. A dispute with SIPTU, the main union representing fire fighters, almost led to a strike by fire fighters throughout the Republic last month.
Under the new procedures a joint working group of management and union representatives has until December 1st to conclude talks on an overall pay increase worth around three per cent. If the deadline is not met, the Labour Relations Commission, which facilitated the new procedures, will call both sides in for a final set of negotiations.
After late-night talks at the LRC, Dublin corporation's personnel officer, Mr Frank Kelly, said yesterday that he believed the end was now in sight for this long-running dispute. The pay claim, which is over pay parity between fire fighters and Garda, dates back to the 1990 Programme for Economic and Social Progress.