Gardaí protest against proposed pay cuts outside EU ministers’ meeting

Members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) have staged a protest outside the meeting of European finance ministers at Dublin Castle.

The demonstration, which took place early on Friday morning and involved members of the GRA’s central executive committee, was in protest at proposed public service pay cuts.

Speaking in advance of the protest GRA general secretary PJ Stone said: “We have been badly treated by our political masters, and having been repeatedly denied the opportunity to directly negotiate our pay, we must express our anger and frustration through our continued placard protest.”

The GRA and other garda representaive organisations are not trade unions and are not involved in the current ballots being undertaken by unions on the proposed new Croke Park agreement.

However gardai will be affected by cuts in the earnings underthe Croke Park proposals.