LAST UPDATE | 16 Feb

THE COUNTRY’S BIGGEST garda representative group has voted not to invite Commissioner Drew Harris to their annual conference. 

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) voted yesterday evening with a large majority to snub the Commissioner. 

The event which takes place in April in Westport, Co Mayo has invited the Justice Minister Helen McEntee. 

Brendan O’Connor, the President of the GRA said that the move was a reflection of the relationship between the association and the Garda Commissioner. 

“This decision simply reflects the breakdown in trust in the relationship between the Commissioner and the rank and file members we represent who gave us a unanimous and unambiguous indication of their feelings last September,” he said. 

There has been a worsening relationship between the Commissioner and the GRA in the last twelve months over a number of issues including rosters, discipline and unachievable administrative tasks. 

The GRA membership voted overwhelmingly to express no confidence in the commissioner, with 98.7% of the 85% member turnout voting ‘no’, a record return for the organisation.  

Last year Harris was jeered by delegates during his speech at the GRA conference when he spoke about a compromise in the roster dispute. 

It is not the first time the GRA has given such a snub with the former justice minister Michael McDowell told that he wasn’t welcome at the conference in 2006. 

A spokesperson for Helen McEntee said: “The Minister can confirm that she has received an invitation to the Conference.

“She notes the ongoing IR [industrial relations] issues but regrets the repeated personalisation of them as she believes dialogue and interaction are the only way forward in such situations.”

Brendan O’Connor had said that the decision came after a “a very honest and forthright debate”.

“The issues that contributed to the vote of no confidence continue to impact in a very real sense on the morale and working environment that our members still experience every day.

“At a time when our members feel increasingly vulnerable and exposed to danger, they require stability and support from internal structures. Unfortunately this is not the case and these challenges have coincided with a programme of change much of which has been implemented with minimal consultation and often without training,” he added. 

O’Connor claimed there was an “overarching atmosphere of fear created by the overzealous application of discipline and oversight” and that this is impacting on garda members’ ability to do their job.

“It is far from a cliché to state that morale is in tatters,” he added. 

A statement has been requested from An Garda Síochána.