Gardaí to begin balloting on proposed roster changes

Gardaí will begin balloting this week on proposed roster changes which, if accepted, will be trialled for a year.

After the trial, members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) will vote a second time to determine if the changes become permanent.

If the ballot this week is passed, the roster changes will come into effect as part of a new working time agreement for gardaí.

Among the proposed changes to the current roster is a 50 per cent reduction in the number of shifts concluding in the early hours of the morning.

The revisions would also replace the current roster cycle pattern of four consecutive early, late and night shifts, which Garda organisations say is extremely fatiguing.

Instead, a roster cycle of two early, two late and two night shifts would be put in place.

Sunday night shifts would also commence at 9.00pm rather than 11.00pm.

Unsocial hours earnings would be protected as part of a revised roster structure.

The existing Garda roster arrangement was introduced in 2012.

Serious issues

GRA president Dermot O’Brien said research conducted by the association had highlighted serious issues with regard to the current roster.

He said the GRA central executive committee believed the proposed new roster arrangements had substantially addressed these issues.

Mr O’Brien also said the revised working time agreement contains substantial benefits for members.

“All the protections and entitlements in the current working time agreement are maintained intact, together with significant improvements.

“These include roster adaptations, additional protections and benefits [and] substantially improved drafting.

“A comprehensive dispute resolution mechanism will now ensure a speedy and effective [way] of addressing any non-compliance.”

Mr O’Brien said the GRA leadership was urging members to back the new proposals in the ballot, which will start this week and run for about 21 days.

He said the GRA was also recommending to members that the issues of rosters and pay should be kept separate.

He said that if they became entangled, there was a danger that pressure could be brought to bear to water down benefits in the working time agreement to fund pay restoration.

A Garda pay review report is due to be completed within the next month or so.