PDForra does not see prospect of troops policing streets

Both PDForra and the minister with responsibility for defence, Paul Kehoe, do not envisage troops coming onto the streets to keep order if the Garda Representative Association (GRA) goes ahead with its planned strike action next month.

Mr Kehoe yesterday made his view on the issue known as he attended the annual conference of PDForra, the organisation which represents more than 7,000 men and women in the Defence Forces.

The Defence Forces can act as an “aid to the civil power” and Mr Kehoe said it would be up to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to ask for them to be deployed in the event of an emergency situation.

However, he said he did not envisage such a request coming and said he would encourage the GRA to go back to the table for talks.

The GRA has said its members will unilaterally withdraw their services and not report for duty on the four consecutive Fridays in November unless there is significant progress towards increases in their pay.

“I would encourage the GRA to go back to talks, because I believe there is a way out of this... The GRA should reconsider their position. I don’t think any member of the general public wants to see the gardaí striking,” said Mr Kehoe.

“I’m confident the GRA will go back [to talks].”

PDForra general secretary Gerry Rooney also said he did not see a situation arising where Defence Forces personnel would have to go out onto the streets to protect the public.

“I don’t see any prospect of the use of troops as the GRA say they will provide cover for emergency situations,” said Mr Rooney.

He pointed out that the Defence Forces was not deployed on the streets in 1998 when the GRA took its “Blue Flu” action.

Then the majority of rank-and-file gardaí called in sick, but the GRA agreed that they would provide resources in cases of emergencies.

At the time, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors did not copy the GRA, but next month they could decide to support them.

“If people [Defence Forces members] are told to do it there will be no question of orders not being obeyed,” the general secretary said.

Mr Rooney added that his association did not want to get drawn into an industrial dispute involving other representative bodies as that would be “a no-win situation” all round.