THE Government was asked to consider the impact on foreign investors and visitors of gardai demonstrating through the centre of to the gates of the Dail in support of a commission on pay, during the Garda conference yesterday.
Gardai are proposing to march through the centre of Dublin on April 16th in pursuit of their demands.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) conference, normally a restrained occasion dealing more in policing policy than pay demands, was in an angry mood yesterday over the Government's rejection of a Garda demand for a pay commission.
Responding to Monday's rejection of the commission proposal by the Minister for Justice, Ms Owen, speakers reacted angrily to politicians - both in Government and Opposition. Several speakers said gardai and their families should make their pay commission demand an issue on the hustings, challenging politicians from all parties about their stance on the issue.
The AGSI's general secretary, Mr George Maybury, announced that the association would not participate any further in the Partnership 2000 round of public sector pay negotiations. "The agenda for Partnership 2000 was drawn, up by other bodies for their own reasons. That is no longer acceptable to this association," he said.
Speakers described the Minister's dismissal of the pay commission demands as deplorable and insulting.
The representative of Dublin Metropolitan Area, Southern Division, Mr Gerry O'Carroll, said the force was being treated shabbily by politicians. "When our colleagues are mown down by cars or gunfire they turn out with their crombies and lugubrious faces expressing their appreciation of our courage. Those same lousers, when it comes to giving us decent pay, expect us to be like lambs and take what we get."
Gardai, he said, were expected to "live in nice houses, drive nice cars, rear nice children and give them good schooling". For most gardai, he said, this was only possible through borrowing from the credit union or through double jobbing.
Mr Alan Murray, from Longford-Westmeath division, said he was shocked at the Government's dismissal of the commission on pay. The Government should consider "what sort of image will be portrayed to visitors and foreign investors when they see members of An Garda Siochana the national police force, marching on Government Buildings to look for our right for a commission on pay".
Mr Murray challenged the Minister's suggestion that there could be compensation for additional efficiency and endeavour by gardai as part of a management review of the force. "Is she suggesting we should get rewards for putting more criminals in jail or putting more tickets on cars. What we want is a basic pay increase. That is all we have to benefit from when we retire."