Fears of garda strike grow as pay dispute rumbles on

KERRY’S divisional spokesman on the Garda Representative Association joined a group of around 25 fellow gardaí in a protest outside the gates of Leinster House last Thursday morning.

The protest came as the prospect grew of a strike by rank and file gardaí over pay freezes.

Kerry GRA Repesentative Seamus Moriarty – a community Garda in Tralee who sits on the GRA’s Central Executive committee – said after the protest that morale in the force is low and that the GRA wants to see urgent action on the issue of pay and conditions for its members.

Both issues were due to be addressed by the end of 2014 under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement however this review never took place.

The Haddington Road Agreement came to a close last Thursday and it is to be succeeded by the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

However the GRA say it will not consider signing up to the Lansdowne Road agreement until the promised review of their pay and conditions has taken place.

“We signed up to the Haddington Road Agreement in good faith and did everything that was asked of us. We are disappointed that the government has failed to fulfil their part of the deal but still plan to freeze our increments from tomorrow until 2018. This is grossly unfair and we’re here today to express our anger and disappointment,” said GRA President Ciarán O’Neill at Thursday’s protest.

“The members of the Garda Representative Association have fulfilled their obligations under the Haddington Road Agreement. They accepted the pay cuts imposed upon them and worked an extra three days annually for three years without payment,” said the GRA.

Kerry GRA Representative Garda Seamus Moriarty (right) with GRA President Ciarán O’Neill at last week’s protest outside The Dáil