Minister criticises Garda opt-out

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has repeated his criticism of gardaí for opting out of the Croke Park agreement talks.

He said he believed the force was ill-served by the conduct of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) in stepping outside the talks.

“They had a very important contribution to make to shaping the outcome of those talks and to addressing specific issues relating to members of An Garda Síochána with which I am personally familiar.”

Mr Shatter said the AGSI executive had stated that its removal from the talks was in the best interests of its members, namely, to protect core pay, including allowances.

“It was not. Rather, it was in the best interests of members that the AGSI engaged.”

He said members of the Garda should ask themselves whether the representative bodies of the Defence Forces and the Prison Officers Association engaged, and whether those engagements achieved outcomes, which they did, that were sure to shape the architecture of what was agreed.

Crisis of morale

“Why did their representative bodies not make this contribution,” he asked. “It was only in later days that the suggestion was put forward that they had been excluded from the talks.”

Sinn Féin spokesman Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said there was a crisis of morale in the Garda force and the negotiations were the final straw.

Gardaí would see an 8 per cent cut in their take-home pay, which did not relate to premium payments. Members of the force worked unsocial hours and often put themselves in danger to protect the public.

“We need the Minister to intervene,” said Mr Mac Lochlainn. “He needs to meet the GRA and the AGSI to probe through the issues and determine whether there is any common ground on which their concerns can be addressed.”

Mr Shatter said the Garda Commissioner and himself were always available to engage in constructive and meaningful discussions on matters affecting members of the Garda.

However, he added, it must be clearly understood that, in any such engagement, the context of those proposals could not be interpreted as representing an attempt to reopen negotiations.

“These proposals stand as they are, but I totally acknowledge and recognise the important role played by members of the Garda force in our society,” Mr Shatter added.

“It is especially praiseworthy that they have shown dedication and commitment in these most difficult times.”

Across public sector

Mr Shatter said he knew that, “at an individual level and in the context of pay reductions, members of the force are finding this difficult”. Similar difficulties were being experienced by people across the public service, he added.

Earlier, the Minister told Fianna Fáil spokesman Niall Collins that he had secured an additional €90 million, on average, in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively, to fund the Garda.

He said Mr Collins should be clear that he was not prepared to be hamstrung in any shape or form by Fianna Fáil’s failure to provide adequately for Garda funding.