Prospect of new Garda strikes after ballots on pay deal

The Government faces the prospect of Garda strikes again in the new year unless two ballots now under way result in the acceptance of a pay deal formulated by the Labour Court.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) and Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi) have just begun a postal ballot of their members.

Government sources said there was a “degree of confidence” Agsi would vote to accept the deal, although the outcome of the GRA ballot was much less predictable.

Many sources in the GRA, both ordinary members and some of those on the 31-strong national executive, have told The Irish Times the outcome of the vote is uncertain.

“A lot of people seem to be opposed to it and they think we can do better,” said one source. “But it’s hard to know if other people will quietly vote in favour. There seems to be a lot of opposition, though.”

GRA members were preparing to withdraw their service and increase pressure on the Government in their row over pay restoration, only for a generous contingency plan to be offered to Garda management and then the strike to be averted.

However, a number of members said while the contingency plan and the strike being averted may have angered some in the organisation, they now needed to be realistic. “This is a good offer and people need to ask if they are going to get a better offer, and we don’t think there is a better offer in this,” said one source.

Another source said while some in the Garda were vocal in their opposition to the deal, many others planned to vote in favour and he believed it would be accepted.

No option

Asked what would happen if members rejected the offer, well-placed sources in both the GRA and Agsi said the organisations would likely have no option but to announce further strike days as early as January.

The joint membership of the GRA and Agsi must decide whether an annual remuneration package worth an additional estimated €40 million is enough to end the industrial unrest that very nearly resulted in the first strike in the history of the Garda three weeks ago.

Agsi has recommended its members accept the deal, though the GRA has made no recommendation.

A major split emerged in the GRA's national executive, and general secretary Pat Ennis faced a no confidence vote, which he survived.

That vote came about amid anger over the association’s handling of the threatened strike, especially the GRA deciding on the eve of the withdrawal of service to ask some 800 members in key units to ignore the action and work on the day.

Each Friday

The 10,500 rank and file gardaí in the GRA and just over 2,000 sergeants and inspectors in Agsi were set to begin a 24-hour withdrawal of service, a strike in all but name, at 7am on Friday, November 4th. That was intended to be the first of four such strike days on each Friday in November.

However, the first of the four days of action was called off less than eight hours before it was set to commence. Instead the GRA and Agsi agreed to put a recommendation made by the Labour Court to their members and to abandon the strike plans and allow the voting process to run its course.

The ballot process took longer to commence than envisaged, but having begun in recent days the results of the separate votes by both organisations are expected to be know in about 10 days.