Gardaí to take industrial action and may adopt work-to-rule for remainder of EU presidency

Rank-and-file gardaí are to take industrial action and have indicated a willingness to adopt a work-to-rule policy for the remainder of Ireland’s term as president of the Council of the European Union. The agreement on the action comes amid a dispute over working conditions.A decision on what industrial action will take place will be made by the executive committee of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents more than 11,000 gardaí in the 14,700-strong force.GRA members were asked two questions by their association – whether they were willing to take part in industrial action as part of the dispute, and whether that industrial action could include adopting a work-to-rule policy for the remaining EU presidency events.READ MOREThe two questions received responses from 46.9 per cent and 44.9 per cent of GRA members, respectively.Some 94.2 per cent of respondents affirmed they were “dissatisfied with Garda management’s continued and intentional breaching of the working time agreement” and that they are willing to engage in industrial action.This industrial action, backed by 93.6 per cent of voters, could include adopting a “work-to-rule position for any forthcoming EU presidency events”.[ Gardaí to take industrial action on five dates next month, including budget dayOpens in new window ]Garda Headquarters has been contacted for comment.The rank-and-file gardaí are pushing for the implementation of enhancements in subsistence and travel payments that they say have been agreed by the Workplace Relations Commission, as well as a working-time agreement from two years ago.A work-to-rule policy, if adopted, would see gardaí enforce their entitlement to 11 hours of uninterrupted consecutive hours of rest each day, 14 days’ notice for the cancellation of rest days, and overtime being claimed for any cancelled rest days, among other roster-related stipulations.Ronan Slevin, GRA general secretary, said the association “will now hold a special meeting of our central executive committee this coming Thursday to decide on an appropriate course of action”.He said Garda management has been in breach of the working-time agreement since the beginning of the EU presidency, and that some of the GRA’s members have been “consistently working 20, 25, even 30 hours over their scheduled weekly hours”.Slevin pointed to members’ annual leave and rest days being cancelled during “extraordinary” EU presidency periods and claimed they have been forced to work overtime.“This has now taken its toll on many of these members, and the results of this survey show the level of frustration and anger involved.”