This action is reminiscent of the train drivers action a number of years ago. Is our emergency services really that badly paid and disenchanted? Would their Terms and Conditions improve dramatically if they were to form an association or union? We are all struggling - they are not the only ones!! The Croke Park agreement is not the best one ever negotiated but, it does provide for some sort of stability and security in what we hope will be an interim period. In relation to pensions, does this section of workers think that they are the only ones to suffer resulting from the present and ongoing economic situation. I know of heartbreaking situations where the victims had no recourse to recovering their pensions and no Trade Union, good, bad or indifferent could or would be able to help them through no fault of their officials or representatives. I'm a dedicated and active trade unionist for almost 50 years. We came through radical times and remember when action and good representation steered the working class through those times and improved their living standards along with making education accessible. How ironic that those who benefited from those endeavours make up the grandiose and right wing Neo Liberals who now "spit" on and stigmatize those of us who want equality, Social Justice and proper living standards for the membership that we represent. Those who want to fractionalise the Trade Union movement are doing a great job in playing into the hands of those on the right who want to destroy its existence. It should be noted that the private sector has taken a huge hit in every respect and has had to seriously negotiate their out of job losses. A lot of them would have given their right arm to have a deal like the one negotiated for and on behalf of the Public Sector!!

What people seem to miss in this agreement is this line

28. The implementation of this Agreement is subject to no currently unforeseen budgetary
deterioration.

Basically as it has been explained by legal boffins is that this line is a loophole for the government, a get out clause if you will. If next year all hell breaks loose again with propping up the Banks then the government can use this clause as an excuse to not uphold their end of the deal but public sector workers have agreed to their side. There is no stability in this deal except for the government while this line is in it. This is one of the principal arguments the emergency services have against it. That and the personnel cuts which, and get this right, effects emergency service workers but also puts your lives at risk.

No one should look at this split as an attempt by emergency workers to get the pay cuts reversed. I think all of us are resigned to those loses. This is a reaction to the complete lack of information/support/interest in relation to emergency workers within SIPTU/IMPACT during the last number of years. We are used by the respective unions to march at the front of their parades and "look pretty" for the cameras yet the people who supposedly represent us have not the slightest idea what our job entails on a day to day basis. Soon we will have a body that will fight the slow degradation of the frontline services.
The unions as they stand now will not see that the public sector is hugely top heavy with management and administration (due mainly to berties refusal to make anyone redundant) while the frontline workers are told to do more with less while getting our pay cut. We cant be part of a "union" that would sacrifice all our conditions to protect dead wood in the system. Hard to hear but it has to be said.