GRA will not accept Reduction in Garda Pay
Thurs 15th January 2009

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) will take a message to officials at the Department of the Taoiseach this afternoon: The GRA will not discuss arbitrary cuts in garda pay.

Our position mirrors that of the public sector unions; that the notion would be an unfair, draconian approach to industrial relations that would effectively tear up the partnership approach. We acknowledge the wider economy is in difficulty, but there are other ways to generate revenue for public finances; not at the expense of the men and women who are policing this country on the frontline, 24/7. This country needs good leadership.

Gardaí make a contribution to the economy in many ways. All pay tax; and the new levy. Frontline policing is becoming increasingly more difficult because of cutbacks in resources and restrictions on our budgetary provisions. We have put up with poor working conditions, substandard garda stations and staff shortages. Our resources have been reduced making our working conditions increasingly challenging. We cannot consider accepting a reduction in personal finances on top of this. A member of An Garda Síochána cannot default on loans without incurring disciplinary procedures. This is an added pressure on gardaí; when pursued through the civil courts for non-payment of lawful debts, this becomes a disciplinary matter that could very well lead to dismissal.

The work of a frontline Garda cannot be compared to any other occupation in the private sector. We are exposed to serious personal risk as an occupational hazard. At the end of last year we showed the effects of violent assaults on gardaí and the kinds of injuries we are sustaining every day. On average, two members are assaulted every day in the course of doing their duty.

The government’s financial projections are proving to be wrong; it should not be our members who are once again asked to make the sacrifices. We have made enough already, in so many ways.