Detectives take workplace cases over driver jobs

Officers were snubbed for minister gigs

SPECIALIST detectives who were overlooked for roles as ministerial drivers are taking their cases to the Workplace Relations Commission.

The Mail has learned that more than ten cases are being taken by detectives who were not interviewed for the roles, despite previously providing protection to the Taoiseach and President.

The cases were lodged with the WRC several weeks ago but no date has been set for when they will be heard.

More than 100 gardaí applied to be transferred permanently into the ministerial unit.

A panel of 30 were selected for interview for the ten positions.

Garda sources told this newspaper that the roles are ‘much sought after’ as members can increase their base salaries by as much as 40%.

A source said: ‘They [the jobs] don’t come up that often, so there is always a lot of interest in them when they come up.’

The Mail understands that the specialist detectives taking personal actions had previously provided personal protection on a temporary basis to VIPs.

The positions were advertised in July last year and the interviews took place in November.

‘A number of them feel that they were over-qualified for the roles, given their previous experience of doing the job on a temporary basis, and don’t understand how they weren’t even afforded an interview,’ the source said.

In November, senior members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) wrote to Garda headquarters outlining their grievance with appointments. ‘These candidates have vast amounts of experience in the protection of VIPs and some were previously assigned to close protection on the Taoiseach and President. It is without a shadow of doubt that the members I represent do have more experience than other successful candidates and based on the HQ directive they should have at least been given the opportunity to show their experience in an interview,’ they wrote.

A spokesman for the GRA said he could not comment on the case while it is ongoing.

A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said that ‘An Garda Síochána does not comment on internal industrial relations’.

In 2011, the government abolished Garda drivers for cabinet members, with the exception of the taoiseach, tánaiste and minister for justice.

However, when the current Coalition was formed, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was granted a Garda driver.

‘Not even afforded an interview’