Freshford, Thomastown, and Castlecomer fire stations are closed today as part of an escalation in the retained firefighter strike action.
It follows advice from SIPTU to increase strike action in stations where full cover cannot be provided including in Kilkenny, with cover being provided instead on a 50% rotational basis.
This means three stations will be closed in Kilkenny each day rotating daily with the nearest open station responding to emergency calls.
However, KCLR News understands Carlow fire stations remain fully open.
SIPTU Kilkenny Shop Steward Philip Byrne says the escalation is underway nationally:
“This is nationally, so I think out of the rest of the country, there are six counties that management has agreed to do what SIPTU told us to do in the beginning. And they’re still doing their agreed cover. But in Kilkenny and the rest of them, we are doing fifty-fifty strikes.”
