Civil defence officers have resolved not to undertake new duties until their claim for the appointment of assistants is agreed and implemented.

A proposal to boycott new regional and national engagements are also under active consideration by the group.

Fórsa is seeking an extension of a two-month arrangement, which saw senior volunteers appointed as assistant civil defence officers at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The head of the union’s local government and local services division, Peter Nolan said the employers had appeared to be supportive of the proposal, but the defence department has not provided funding.

Most local authorities don’t have assistant civil defence officers. “This places an unreasonable burden on civil defence officers with regards to out of hours working and annual leave,” according to Peter.

Governance issues have also emerged because senior volunteers sometimes take on duties that are only appropriate to employees.

The staff concerned have given an assurance that its action will not affect the civil defence response to Covid-19.