First Garda strike set to go ahead barring new pay offer

Barring an unlikely new pay offer being made at the last minute, the country’s first ever strike by gardai is set to go ahead on Friday morning.

Several hundred gardai serving in a number of specialist units have been given derogations by their representative body to work.

However thousands of gardai will stay away from work and attend regional protests to be held across the country.

Informed sources said there would not be pickets at Garda stations.

However some of these planned regional protests are likely to take place in locations close to Garda facilities.

The Garda Commissioner earlier this week effectively ordered members of the force to go to work on Friday.

However as things stand this instruction seems set to be widely disregarded.

The largest Garda body, the GRA which represents rank and file members , has insisted it has acted responsibly and blamed the Government for the forthcoming strike.

It said the Department of Justice did not commence talks for 21 days after the industrial action was announced.

The GRA said the government had “ perilously gambled with public safety”.

It said it had not demanded a specific pay rise but had suggested a range of options that were “cognisant with our uniqueness” and fell within the scope of the Lansdowne Road agreement.

The GRA said it had not been requested by the Labour Court to defer its strike until after it issued a recommendation aimed at resolving the dispute. This is likely to emerge also on Friday as thousands of gardai are on strike across the country.