Video surveillance cameras, put up in Dublin's O'Connell Street to detect crime, have apparently been used by senior gardai to detect a member of the force who may have breached regulations by marching in support of a pay claim.
The disciplinary action against a Limerick-based officer comes as Garda staff association leaders meet today to consider "lightening" industrial stoppages in support of their pay claim. It is expected they may call for action as early as this weekend. It is understood the Limerick garda has been told he may face disciplinary action because he was officially on sick leave when he took part in the April 21st march.
About half the 8,000 officers of garda rank took part in the march from Parnell Square to the Dail. While marching six-abreast along O'Connell Street they were under surveillance by cameras erected on shop roofs to detect criminals.
The cameras feed live images to a bank of monitors in the Garda station in O'Connell Street and "still" pictures can be taken from the video recording equipment for use in prosecutions, usually in criminal matters.
It is understood a still picture of the officer, marching with colleagues from Limerick, is being used as part of the disciplinary action.
Disciplinary procedures have been invoked against other officers arising from the industrial action, according to Garda sources in Dublin. Several officers are facing proceedings arising from the later, so-called "blue-flu" protest on May 1st, when most of the 8,000 gardai took part effectively in a one-day strike by calling in on 24-hour sick leave.
The point of calling in sick for 24 hours is that, under Garda regulations, a sickness certificate is only required for absence beyond this period. This ruse, circumventing the regulations preventing gardai from strike action, worked in most cases.
However, it is understood at least three officers in south Dublin called in sick in support of the protest even though they were officially on "rest" leave, a period of three days between late and early shifts. According to sources, the officers called in sick in an act of solidarity with their working colleagues.
As they were officially absent from work for three days, it is understood they have been required to produce certificates to show they were sick for the entire "rest" period.
According to sources, two other gardai have been warned that they may face disciplinary proceedings over an incident in which a member of the public complained he heard officers refer to another officer, who worked during the "blue-flu" episode, as a "scab" while inside a station.
The 26 members of the executive committee of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) meet in Dublin today to discuss further action over their pay claim. They are expected to endorse stoppages or some other form of action soon as a prelude to two further "blueflu" stoppages on July 11th and 13th to disrupt the Tour de France stages in Dublin and Wicklow.
The GRA leadership says it is claiming a 15 per cent pay increase for past productivity arrangements on top of further payments for future productivity. However, Government sources say that at no stage in negotiations by the GRA or other Garda associations have such increases been contemplated.
The maximum offer from the Government side has been for a 7 per cent "stand alone" increase with up to 6 per cent for future productivity. Anything further, it is said, will damage the whole social partnership pay arrangements and could engender inflationary pay claims from other sectors.