Labour Court recommends talks on firefighters’ prior-service pay credit

The Labour Court recommended that Dublin City Council and the unions representing four Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters engage to resolve a dispute over pay credit for their earlier National Ambulance Service service. The recommendation was signed on 8 February 2019. The Court said the paramedic and firefighter/paramedic salary scales were not analogous, but considered it unreasonable for the experienced paramedics to take a pay reduction when joining the brigade. It recommended that the parties establish terms to eliminate the disparity or accept management’s offer if that would benefit the workers. The talks were to be completed by 10 March 2019, with a return to the Court possible if no agreement was reached.