LAST UPDATE | 4 Apr 2023
MIDDLE RANKING GARDAÍ have voted in favour of strike action but only if there is no resolution and a further escalation in their roster dispute.
Delegates at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) held a closed door session this morning to discuss the next phase in their dispute with garda headquarters.
The 150 gardaí voted to co-operate, under protest, with the visit of US President Joe Biden which begins next week.
The four days of action will take place once a month from May to August.
Critically the association also stated that the third measure is: “A mandate that individual members have indicated their withdrawal of labour on a particular day if a resolution is not found and the dispute continues to escalate.”
It is not certain that they will strike but gardaí are not permitted to organise strike action by law.
Speaking to reporters this lunchtime, AGSI General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham said the union would make preparations for the both garda representative groups, AGSI as well as the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
The GRA had also voted had voted against accepting new working time arrangements for gardaí.
AGSI had voted earlier this week to carry out protests in a clear escalation in its disagreement with Garda Headquarters. Harris has referred the issue to the Workplace Relations Commission.
Cunningham appealed to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to engage with the representative bodies.
“All this Association wants to do is to find a resolution to that, so much so that we made three suggestions to the Garda Commissioner last week on rostering and how this impasse could be broken and he rejected all three.
“The Commissioner himself is the one with the fixed position saying its the WRC or nothing.
“The Commissioner, we would urge him when he comes here today to try and find a forum where we can all get into dialogue.
“It’s the only way this dispute is going to be resolved, is through dialogue,” he said.
Cunningham denied that the AGSI were militant but said that the members felt that the current proposed roster it was “unfair”.
At present, gardaí are working a four-day-on four-day-off Covid-19 emergency roster.
“What I would say to the public first of all is if the Commissioner gives us an internal meaningful negotiating forum we will set aside all of these days of action.
“And that’s the first thing. So very firmly I’d like to reassure the public that for the first one the visit next week there is no disruption to any public service.
“The days of action will be done by way of members on annual leave. There will be no disruption,” Cunningham added.
The Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that he was “surprised” by the announcement by AGSI.
Speaking to reporters he said he was not “escalating” his position and said that the WRC process must run its course.
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