Eight Garda body delegates walk out

EIGHT of the 40 delegates who attended a conference of the Garda Federation in Dublin yesterday walked out, saying they were unhappy with the group's national council.

The federation's president, Mr Frank Gunn, said while there was a dispute, there was no split in the organisation. A number of the delegates who walked out said they were not thinking "as yet" of forming a new organisation.

The extraordinary delegate conference was held to decide on a strategy for the federation's campaign for changes in the Garda Siochana Bill. The Bill, to resolve the dispute over representation for rank and file gardai, had its first reading in the Dail yesterday.

The delegates who walked out of the conference were two delegates from the Dublin Metropolitan Area (DMA) North, five delegates from the DMA South, and a delegate from Garda Head quarters. They all resigned from their elected positions in the federation but did not resign from the federation. The HQ delegate, Mr Stephen Sheerin, had been a member of the national council.

The two delegates from DMA North were the first to leave. They said they would like to see the establishment of a new organisation, with the executives of both the Garda Federation and the Garda Representative Association being disbarred from holding office.

Meanwhile, a motion of no confidence in the national council was voted on by the conference, with only six delegates voting in favour. When a subsequent motion, calling for the nine member council to be replaced by a 20 member committee, was not put to a vote, the DMA South delegates and Mr Sheerin walked out.

It was only in mid afternoon that the conference got around to discussing the federation's response to the new Bill.

An "action committee" was formed to consider actions which the federation can take to change the Bill. The committee will consider public protests and the use of the ICTU, the Labour Court or the Labour Relations Commission.

Mr Gunn said disruption of escorts during the EU presidency would not be considered.

The federation sent a letter to the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, calling on her to recognise the federation and enter into negotiations on pay, pensions and conditions of employment.