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garda review Editorial February 2010
Pay: A cause worth fighting
THE GARDA
Representative Association praise the courage of all our members who participated in our canvass on industrial action. We are a transparent, democratic organisation and we appointed independent auditors to count
and announce the results to the media immediately the process was complete. From 5,540 responses, 93% voted for some form of industrial action. They were aware of their constitutional role and as members of An
Garda Síochána and took this role responsibly. It must be said that these members weren’t intimidated by the comments and threats made by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. They felt it was
important their views were heard, and the threat of legal action did not deter them. Such threats were indeed an affront to democracy. We have a democratic right to have our voice heard, yet the government did
its best to deny us the right to ask our members these questions.
While the withdrawal of services was not the preferred option, a
sizeable and significant number within the organisation (18.4%) were prepared to take that course of action. This sends a clear signal to government that all is not well within the Garda Síochána, and how
members perceive the draconian pay cuts imposed upon them.
Members of the Force are working in very difficult conditions while
experiencing increasing personal financial problems. This is simply unjust, and we are addressing this with the collective resources of our members.
The government cannot be comfortable – nor complacent – because we have not ended our campaign. The Financial Times in London, one of the influential titles for
European economics, last year called Ireland a ‘banana republic’ because of the lack of banking regulation. Following the announcement of our questionnaire results, this institution reported
‘the threat of industrial action by the Irish police, or gardaí, poses a particular challenge to the government as police are legally banned from striking.’
The overwhelming majority of our members require some form of industrial action to reverse the pay cuts. This places an onus on the members of the Central Executive Committee of
the Garda Representative Association to act upon that mandate. We are now preparing our options to put before our members at our annual delegate conference. We will have to be ingenious to stay within the law,
because of the restrictions upon us.
We must also look outside the boundaries of the State for justice. We are now a fundamental part of a
wider and more enlightened Europe. Ireland under this government is increasingly autocratic and acting as a new and unwelcome aristocracy. It is unfortunate for the working tax-payers of this country that
Ireland, under this administration, is one of the most right wing of the 27 EU member states. This government has colluded with bankers, property speculators and media moguls to downgrade the living standards of
the people to benefit its interests.
The Garda Representative Association is challenging the imposition of the pension levy through a
judicial review scheduled to start on 11th March. We are also preparing to take our case to Europe, where we believe we will be better served. The draconian restrictions upon us require collective action so as
not to isolate and endanger any colleague; one avenue we believe is open is to campaign and challenge even harder for union status. Our government has dismissed this. Thankfully we are now a fundamental part of
a wider and more enlightened Europe. Under the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights everyone is entitled to belong to a trade union; “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to
freedom of association at all levels, in particular in political, trade union and civic matters, which implies the right of everyone to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his or her
interests."
Police forces in Germany, Sweden, Spain and Holland are now among those to have their own trade union. This is the way forward. We should expect nothing less.
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