Gardaí decline to confirm if members will be used to plug gaps during speed camera operators strike

Gardaí have declined to confirm whether or not members of the force will be used to plug gaps during a 72-hour strike by speed camera operators this weekend.

Workers at the company that operates the country's speed camera network are due to strike for three days over the bank holiday weekend.

It is the second such action by GoSafe speed van staff and follows a one-day stoppage last month.

During this 24 hour stoppage, gardaí said up to half of speed cameras would remain in operation and that roads policing would make up the shortfall created by the GoSafe strike. It is unclear if similar arrangements will be put in place this weekend.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner to provide details of any contingency plans to mitigate against the strike action, a garda spokesperson said: "An Garda Síochána does not comment on industrial relations matters between a contractor and its employees. An Garda Siochana continues to monitor the current situation.

"An Garda Síochána has no further comment on this matter at this time."

As of last Wednesday, GoSafe staff have refused to operate their vans' Telogis computer system which tracks activity.

The scaling up of industrial action is due to both the working conditions of the operators and the company’s alleged refusal to recognise or engage with their union.

Their forthcoming bank holiday strike will last from 9am on Saturday morning to 9am on Tuesday.

SIPTU organiser Brendan Carr said the workers are aware the strike could affect road safety but they have been left with "no option other than to escalate this dispute".

"Our members are only taking this action as a last resort because of the intransigence of management which has refused to address their concerns relating to health and safety and their conditions of employment," Mr Carr said.

"These workers have attempted to address these problems through the State industrial relations mechanisms.

The Labour Court has issued a recommendation saying that GoSafe should recognise SIPTU as the representative of its employees who are union members, but this has been completely ignored by management.

GoSafe Ireland, based in Listowel, operates roadside speed monitoring vans under a five-year contract worth more than €100 million.

SIPTU claims to represent more than 50% of staff at the company. The union said that some of the shifts that staff are rostered on are up to 11 hours long.

While staff are allowed to take toilet breaks during this time, Mr Carr said they are required to keep their vans in sight, meaning that they have been forced to urinate in bottles in some cases.