Rank-and-file gardaí warn of retaliation

The association which represents the country’s rank-and-file gardaí has warned the Government that if it carries out its threat to cut its members’ wages it will retaliate by pursuing breaches of the EU working time directive in the courts.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said such action would make the Croke Park I agreements it signed up to null and void, which includes a clause whereby Garda management can ask gardaí to work in excess of the directive.

GRA president John Parker said other agreements under Croke Park I would also be torn up, including participation in new pilot rostering agreement and the facilitation of increased use of civilians in the force.

“There is flexibility under the working time agreement which facilitates [Garda] management deploying gardaí on a needs basis. This means that, in some cases, gardaí would be called on to work more than the directive allows,” he said.

“If pay cuts are foisted on our members we will then pursue any breaches of the EU working time agreement through the courts.”

He said his officials were delighted that unions had voted to reject the terms of Croke Park II.

Mr Parker said that at a number of GRA meetings around the country in recent months, members of the association had repeated the need to protect their wages from any further cuts.

“There was a lot of posturing from the Department of Public Enterprise and Reform telling unions to vote for this [Croke Park II] or we’ll impose pay cuts.

“It would be very bad for democracy for these cuts to proceed now, especially as the carrot-and-stick approach hasn’t worked.”

Mr Parker reiterated that if the Government ploughed ahead with its plans to impose wage cuts, his 11,000 members would vehemently oppose them and view anything they signed up for in Croke Park I as off the table.

Meanwhile, the association which represents 2,000 Garda sergeants and inspectors (AGSI), maintained that Labour Party backbenchers would come under severe pressure to stop their ministers implementing further pay cuts.

AGSI president Tim Galvin said his association was the first to withdraw from Croke Park II talks, on Jan 25.

“If they had legislated everybody in the same way it might have been fair, but they targeted 24/7 groups who would suffer more from the cuts,” said Sgt Galvin.

He said that proposed cuts to AGSI “night duty and twilight allowances” were extremely unfair and that his association had regarded them as part of their pay since an agreement which dates back to 1989.

“We will wait to see what the Government’s reaction to this [the unions’ vote] will be,” he said.