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THE GARDA REPRESENTATIVE Association (GRA), which represents rank-and-file members of the force, has suspended the three further strike days planned for this month, pending a ballot of members on a set of Labour Court recommendations.
The association’s central executive committee met at its Dublin headquarters today to discuss the proposals handed down by the Labour Court on Thursday. Their first labour withdrawal had been due to take place the next day, but the committee voted to defer the action late Thursday night.
The GRA has been burdened since Thursday afternoon by an internal row that has delayed progress in the dispute and today’s meeting saw six members of the committee walk out. A motion of no confidence in the general secretary, Pat Ennis, was tabled this morning, but members were told it would not be heard until a presentation on the Labour Court proposals was given.
The row centres around the decision by the officer board – the GRA’s top officials – just after noon on Thursday to announce a list of 18 units that were being asked to report for duty on the day of the first strike.
This followed a meeting with garda management, in which it is alleged GRA representatives were told the Minister for Justice would have to implement martial law. The board agreed the list with management, called a press conference at its headquarters and announced which units were being asked to provide cover for the day. Some of the 31-strong committee took issue with the sequence of events being undertaken without consultation or approval from them.
In fact, the top table had already voted against offering these exceptions three times.
A heated meeting between officials followed, which in turn delayed the negotiating team returning to the Labour Court to collect the recommendations. Members on the ground have been expressing their anger at the way the officer board handled the situation on Thursday, before the strike was deferred. Talk in garda circles about the row has somewhat overshadowed discussion about the merits and downsides of the actual deal.
The recommendations include:
If accepted, however, members will have to agree to working up to 60 additional hours a year, if the parading time and the free public pay deal hours are counted. They will also be committing to a rake of productivity measures in the force’s recently announced modernisation programme. This will mean engaging in new training and using new processes and technologies over the next five years.
The GRA’s meeting has been adjourned until Wednesday.
The national executive of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, which also received recommendations from the Labour Court, is due to hold a similar – though less controversial – meeting tomorrow. They will discuss the proposals, the ballot and are expected to suspend their three planned strike days this month, as the GRA has done this evening.
It is hoped the ballots will be sent out next week, with the results expected back by the end of the month.
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See, this is what happens when you slag off the red line.
Ha exactly.
Yup… those red liners will be laughing all the way to the post office or the methadone clinic this Wednesday morning wondering just what exactly is this ‘work’ thing that their South Dublin counterparts are so concerned to be missing.
Red Line is South Dublin from Saggart to Houston Station. At least consult a compass when composing your slurs!
Autocorrect thinks it’s in Texas.
Very funny Drew … not.
Drew the south Dubliners have to “work” as you put it to afford the shed loads of cocaine every weekend!
Aye we do…. For taxes purposes though we’re working to afford our ‘columbian overseas foreign aid’ donation.
Running the red line through gang territory has now paid off. Its so used to gun shots puny lightening doesn’t frighten it
Was there not a stabbing on the green line recently????
Another blow in who probably doesn’t have a clue..
There was, my comment was tongue in cheek (written onboard a red line tram)
The new machine gun turret on top will have that sorted .
Funny too, Felix. We might be posting from the same train.
**looks around nervously**
@ Shane Walsh only spotting your comment now:
If using the red line since its inception in 2004 first for school & college, and now to go to work making in excess of 460 trips per year (allowing for annual leave/bank holidays) for the last 6/7yrs qualifies me as a blow in so be it
Good response to my early morning moany reply. Remind me to shake your hand at the Kingswood Stop in the morning ;) ;)
^^^now thats freaky!! :-)
hahahaha :) :) :) Happy Wednesday.
Shussss don’t tell anyone
Threw a fuse in her. Be grand. If she keeps blowing throw a bit of fag paper or a 10 mil bolt in her. Also be grand. Ish.
Its same problem as yesterday. They dont have the skills to repair. Any technical fault and they have to go to the foreign companies that built it. Makes you wonder why they pay local engineers? After last nights investigations they have just madw the problem worse by disabling the whole line.
Fragile wee thing that Luas….
This is obviously God’s way of telling liberal South Dublin to vote No! Subtle, but I get the message.
Not a bad thing, considering that Enda’s gang were lying in wait to ambush the electorate for a vote on something that they dont really give a s**t about.
It’s that Breda O’brien playing with the new testiment weather kit …
It’s running again now
have your say