SIPTU demands additional pay for frontline emergency workers
SIPTU is renewing its call for a binding national protocol to govern how local authority and state agency workers are deployed, protected and paid during extreme weather events.
The union says Storm Chandra has again exposed gaps in how frontline emergency workers are treated during severe weather.
It is demanding additional pay for emergency‑related duties, including extended hours, callouts, standby, redeployment and high‑risk tasks.
SIPTU public administration and community divisional organiser, Brendan O’Brien, said: “Our members in Local Authorities and State Agencies are out there dealing with flooding, fallen trees, travel disruption, and damage to infrastructure.
“They are keeping roads clear, restoring services, and protecting communities. This is emergency work, carried out under very difficult conditions, and it must be recognised and fairly compensated.
“SIPTU’s local authority sector members are already campaigning for a comprehensive review of their terms and conditions. This broader campaign seeks recognition of the wide range of additional duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills now required of members across local authorities and state agencies, beyond what historic terms and conditions reflect.”
He added: “The nature of Local Authority work has changed dramatically over time. Members now take on a far broader range of duties, higher levels of responsibility and qualification, and complex tasks that go well beyond what their terms and conditions cover.”
SIPTU local authority sector organiser, Con Casey, said: “We are calling for a clear, sector-wide protocol that guarantees fair pay for extreme weather work and removes the current reliance on ad hoc local arrangements.
“We are also calling on the Government to formally recognise local authorities as the central coordinators of the State’s response to extreme weather, with responsibility for cross-departmental cooperation, resource sharing, and the deployment of skilled public sector personnel.”
He added: “Workers deserve certainty and respect. They must know in advance how pay, health and safety protections, rest periods, and recovery time apply when they are asked to respond to emergencies.”