The staff association representing the 2,000 officers of sergeant and inspector rank has warned it will join other gardai in refusing to work a new computerised information system unless its members are paid extra.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) warning follows last week's threat by the Garda Representative Association (GRA) that its 8,000 members would also refuse to implement the new system.
Speaking yesterday, the AGSI general secretary, Mr George Maybury, said unless the Government agreed to pay gardai extra money the new computer system could "go down the tubes".
He said: "The Department of Finance has failed to put forward any proposals at all to help us to finalise the discussions."
He said any attempt to force the implementation of the system would result in a "trade dispute" which could lead to "chaos and the loss of the investment of £50 million" if the system was not in operation by July.
Hundreds of computers are being delivered to Garda stations in all areas as part of the introduction phase of what is expected to be the State's largest computer network. More than 100 staff from a management consultancy and 49 gardai, all with third-level degrees, have been working from an "information technology" centre in Garda Headquarters.
Garda management is concerned that if the system is not running by the end of this year, its existing computer systems might break down because they may not be Year 2000-compliant. It had originally been envisaged that the new system, known as PULSE (Police Using Leading Systems Effectively), would be introduced in February this year and be fully operational by next month.
Last week, the Garda Commissioner agreed to put back its introduction until July to allow Garda staff representatives to complete pay negotiations with Government.
The associations are understood to be seeking an additional 6 or 7 per cent on top of the current public sector pay agreement, and on top of the extraordinary pay increase they received last year after the two days of "blue flu".