GARDAI in Clondalkin in west Dublin have said they will consider industrial action within a month if they are not consulted about improvements in their working conditions.
The gardai are members of the Garda Federation which held its first conference in Dublin yesterday.
Members heard that gardai were serving in "appalling" conditions at Clondalkin station, which was built to house only 15 gardai but now has more than 60 officers.
The local Garda Federation representative, Garda Christy Murray, said the conditions were cramped and the station dilapidated.
During winter, gardai had to wear great coats inside the station for warmth. They had to turn on the oven and leave the door open for heat, he said.
After previous complaints about conditions, the windows had been sealed, he said. This contributed to the discomfort during the rest of the year.
Earlier this month, the Garda Federation was angered by a decision to exclude Garda Murray from a meeting with management to discuss conditions in the station, despite the fact that the federation represents 50 of the 54 officers of garda rank in the station.
The Clondalkin gardai held a meeting on Wednesday night and decided to give the Department of Justice and Garda management a month to meet their representative to discuss conditions.
After that period, Garda Munay said yesterday, the officers serving in Clondalkin would consider "industrial action". He said this could involve gardai refusing to "parade for duty" at the station. This would mean that gardai would report for duty at other stations in the "L" Division, including Ballyfermot and Ronanstown.
Also at the conference yesterday, the federation president, Garda Frank Gunn, said the strength of the force had fallen below 10,000 and there was a pressing need, as a result of the end of the IRA ceasefire, to recruit extra gardai.
There was also a need for gardai to keep officers with experience in anti terrorist operations in their positions, rather than transfer them.
Garda Gunn said "The most important weapon against subversive crime is intelligence gathering and that must be done for the security of the State. You don't learn how to do that in a short time. Expertise takes years to build up."
He said the State was also facing an "upsurge in ordinary crime and drug trafficking" and the Government needed to ensure that gardai who were being diverted to anti terrorist operations were replaced.