The difference in pay between volunteer and professional firefighters is discriminatory, according to the Council of Europe. The Committee was contacted by the Solidaires SDIS (Sud Sdis) trade union.
It considered in particular that the lack of recognition of the status of “workers” of volunteer firefighters was detrimental to their rights. The amount of compensation represented “less than one quarter of the entire payroll of the civil security system” in 2017, notes the Committee. “While 78.6% of French firefighters are volunteers, and they are responsible for 34% to 66% of current firefighting activities”