At the final day of the GRA’s annual conference in Westport, Co Mayo, delegates passed a series of urgent motions highlighting frustration with the Government and garda management.
Delegates declared a need to “teach the Irish Government a lesson”.
Deputy general secretary James Morrisroe said: “The concerns are that we don’t have resources, the amount of numbers.
“We’re languishing at about 14,500 gardaí and, as we saw in the exceptional event [recently] we just don’t have the numbers to police normal circumstances.
That means 71 days of rest days being cancelled
“So with the extraordinary events coming up in the presidency, we certainly feel that our members will be stretched to the pin of their collar.
“Leave will be cancelled. Rest days will be cancelled.
“There are 71 days, potentially, of extraordinary events.
“We would be very concerned in relation to the welfare of our members in relation to the policing of the EU presidency.
“We have seen in the events of the past weeks what can happen at a moment’s notice, and on social media where events are organised and we have to respond rapidly to those events.
“There is potential for disruption during the six months. It’s a long six months.
“How many extraordinary events in the presidency? There will be a lot. We haven’t been given the full plan, but there could be potentially 71 days of extraordinary events.
“When I say 71 days, that means 71 days of rest days being cancelled. You would have a lot of movement of garda members throughout the country.”
.jpg)
US president Donald Trump is likely to attend the Irish Open at his Co Clare golf course. Photo: Reuters
After lengthy discussions and at times heated debate, delegates voted to withdraw from all planning meetings for the upcoming events.
The GRA will also write to Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers to formally notify him that the association considers itself to be “now in dispute” with his department.
One motion stated that until outstanding issues around pay and conditions are addressed, the association would “advise our members not to co-operate with the planning for or the policing of the EU presidency and Irish Open”.
The possibility of Donald Trump coming to that, that’s a huge security concern
It comes amid growing speculation that US president Donald Trump will attend the tournament at his golf resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare, in September.
A separate motion tabled directed the general secretary to write to the Garda Commissioner insisting that the Midlands Working Time Agreement 2024 “has to be complied with in full during the European presidency”.
Gardaí are legally banned from taking industrial action, although they have held unofficial “blue flu” protests in the past.
GRA vice-president Niall Hodgins told delegates that the Government’s treatment of the concerns raised by serving gardaí was not acceptable.
It had been announced that €125m was being provided in overtime payments
He said the Government must address members’ pay and conditions, including travel expenses, implement the agreed 1pc pay increase – due since last September – and give the GRA a seat at the table for the upcoming national pay talks.
“This is a dispute that has gone on for far too long. Minister Chambers and his department have continuously placed us on the long finger and kicked us down the road and refused to honour already agreed positions,” he said.
Specifically in relation to the policing of a Trump visit, Mr Morrisroe said: “That’s an extra event. You have the Irish Open in September. The possibility of Donald Trump coming to that, that’s a huge security concern for our members.
“We would be expected to police that again at a moment’s notice. Donald Trump might decide this evening to come tomorrow morning, so it’s just ‘drop everything and go to where he is’.”
He said it had been announced that €125m was being provided in overtime payments for the EU presidency but that in itself just shows that gardaí are papering over the cracks.
“We have 14,500 members, we would feel we need 17,000 or 18,000 members in the normal course of events for normal policing,” he said. “To allocate such a large sum for probably overtime payments, our members would be expected to come in probably seven days a week.”