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THE GARDA REPRESENTATIVES Association (GRA) has agreed to approach the Minister for Justice about its “grave concerns” over the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris’s attitude to rosters.
The motion was passed at a Special Delegate Conference (SDC) today, where the members also approved the GRA’s policy around rosters, the effects of rosters on earnings and protections for members.
There is an ongoing dispute around Garda rosters.
The new roster would introduce a new arrangement whereby gardaí, such as detectives and other specialist units, would work a full seven days followed by a two day rest period.
The gardaí at present are on a temporary four days on, four days off Covid-19 roster – before that they were on a six day on, three day off roster.
The new roster is focused on leaving regular response gardaí on the four-on-four-off but moving detectives and other specialists to a more office-based role, which will be based around a nine-to-five roster.
While gardaí on core response duties would be working the four days on, four days off regime on the proposed roster, their colleagues in specialist units such as detectives would not.
Core policing response comprises of uniform gardaí who answer emergency calls, but also Road Policing Units.
Non core are gardaí such as detectives attached to Crime investigation units and also other specialist units that are not designated as core policing roles.
The move would bring the garda staffing model more in line with that used in UK police forces.
The GRA and AGSI have cited work life balance and cost of living as a major bugbear for them. There has also been discussion, sources said, in regard to the reduction in unsocial hours allowances which are given to gardaí who work night duty – the proposed roster would see these allowances reduced significantly.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) recently rejected roster proposals by 63% in a ballot of members. The proposals asked members to work 14 days out of 16, which the majority of members were very concerned about, General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham said.
Middle garda management in a number of counties rejected a roster which would see specialist gardaí, such as detectives, move to an office-based role working nine to five daily.
The GRA conference unanimously passed a motion today that a formal approach would be made to the Minister for Justice outlining “the grave concerns of the GRA with the current Garda Commissioner’s attitude towards rostering arrangements in An Garda Síochána”.
The special delegate conference, which was held in Portlaoise, also agreed that a four-part proposal would form GRA policy, going forward:
The Special Delegate Conference also agreed to reject the imposition of “eight hour tours, other than those currently worked by members predisposed to them”.
Also at today’s SDC, Garda Tara McManus of the Louth Division, was officially appointed to the role of Assistant to the General Secretary.
The GRA conference is made up of elected delegates from every Garda division in the country. It is the highest decision-making authority within the GRA and motions carried dictate official association policy.
- Additional reporting Niall O’Connor
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I don’t know why anyone would want to be a Garda. Dealing with the public and no actual power to do anything about it. Young ones who have no respect for the law get away with everything. Then you’ve the unfortunate people who can’t access mental health facilities sleeping in cells. Drew Harris sitting in his fancy office needs to get out in the communities of the liberties and dolphins barn and see exactly what the people are going through.
@Nurse on call: Drew Harris is the Wrong Man in Charge . He is trying his utmost the first RUC type Policing into the Gardai . He has so far managed to make sure that there is very little communication between Gardai and the Public,— that is the way the RUC operated and still does . He has destroyed the Garda Divisions that served the Community well by getting rid of several Divisions ,– Chief Supts. and Supts.
What is the point in trying to stir trouble in the Ranks by changing a System that the Majority are happy with, isn’t it the case that People will work harder and better when they are happy . I can really see why so many are Resigning after just a few years , and they are in trouble with trying to recruit new members .
The British Policing model (treating it like a business and reducing the ratio of Police per Capita) is on the way out in Britain because they’ve seen the havoc that it’s wreaking on the public & their relationship with Police – while they’re enthusiastically adopting it here like lemmings under this Commissioner – despite being told to run a mile from it when they sent a delegation over to several British Police Forces 10 yrs ago. Meanwhile the number of retiring PSNI Refugees being parachuted into Senior Management in An Garda Siochana continues apace – another Supt with 30yrs done up north coming in as a Chief Supt announced this week. I get the Policing Authority looking outside – but exclusively PSNI? Nobody else is hiring them! A deeper look at the PSNI shows they’re not all that
@Eugene Comaskey: Well said Eugene. From what I hear Harris is deeply unpopular and moral has never been lower. I expect the issue of rosters could become very contentious in 2023.
@Ian Lester: well said Ian.
Quite a change from AGSI who were encouraging a yes vote, probably because the proposed hours wouldn’t effect those who wanted a yes vote. Fair play to the GRA, they rejected it out of hand without even asking as they finally put their members needs above their own
The GRA did NOT reject 4 on 4 off 12 hours shifts for front line. The front line members are nesrly all happy to work that … But the full desl includes people sorking 14 out of 16 days on 8 hr dhifts and getting a pay cut…it us this that is bring rejected
@Bri Lyons: Your drunk typing is coming on leaps and bounds
Not to hijack this article but no mention on the Journal or other major news outlets of the retained fire service, despite and NRFA protest today in Dublin and a strike possibly coming down the road. 25 years since any engagement on terms and yet again it’s ignored. Couple that with crisis with recruitment and staff retention in fire service NAS and the Gardaí and we have a bleak looking future for our emergency services.
The AGSI membership emphatically rejected the roster.
The last thing we need in the current climate is disgruntled and possibly striking gardai.
What’s on offer in the proposed duty rostering arrangements is highly abusive and there’s no question whatever about that. Nobody in a position to evaluate correctly the practical effect of the proposals could possibly accept them. AGS in its old form was far from perfect but it could have been amended. The current system with all it’s foreign imports derives from some snap decisions ever so quickly implemented by part-timers (politicians) whose tenure was ever temporary. That legacy will live but for how long ? Sometimes I wonder if we could beneficially have implemented the import idea in respect of some of our politicians inclusive of former senior office holders ?
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