Conference Report 2016

Section 1: Pay and Allowances
PART ONE: OuTlINE SummARy
1.1 Any review of industrial relations cannot
meaningfully proceed without the establishment of
fundamental parameters. In the first instance that
means to establish the number of gardaí needed to
police Ireland. To answer this, we also need to
clearly define the role and function of An Garda
Síochána through extensive policing plans for each
garda division and subsequently quantify the
number of personnel required to fulfil the objectives
and also provide contingency for omissions,
absentees and the unpredictable nature of policing.
1.2 Numerous agencies have outlined the need for
clearly stated and verifiable data on the nature of
policing in Ireland. The Garda Representative
Association (GRA) has long contended that an
optimum number survey should be researched and
compiled by an independent authority utilising the
latest academic theory and methodology. A
consultative document should be produced,
distributed, discussed and implemented within the
lifetime of the next Dáil.
1.3 Our position is clear; gardaí cannot be expected to
deal with ever-expanding workloads as their
numbers diminish. A defined policing function will
determine the numbers of workers required to
satisfy the requirements of the public against
attainable productivity levels and contingencies for
each garda. The situation is currently untenable.
The policing plans are not covered and the policing
service has become inconsistent. The first question
that needs to be answered is: how many gardaí are
needed to fulfil the role and function of An Garda
Síochána?
1.4 There is no doubt that our members are more
vulnerable to becoming victims of crime too. An
Garda Síochána has had its membership reduced by
around 2,500 since 2011 through retirements, long
term illness and incentivised career breaks. This
equates to one in six; to around five million policing
hours lost per annum and yet various reform and
transformation has required the remaining serving
members to take measures to absorb this loss while
providing an enhanced policing service.
1.5 We must question the model of governance that can
promote such a policy. History will undoubtedly
expose this folly, but in the present situation this
remains untenable in real policing. The current
reclassified crime figures [September 2015] support
this position. The explanation that Ireland had
bucked worldwide trends in recorded crime
because of ‘smart policing’ or ‘intelligence-led
policing’ have been unmasked as political rhetoric
designed to mislead the public and placate the everincreasing
number of crime victims.
1.6 In the search for a quantifiable solution to such a
question, the individual level of risk to which each
member is to be exposed will have to be quantified.
Until now, it appears that the authorities are
prepared to accept that being assaulted or
subjected to intimidation is to be regarded as an
occupational hazard. This is no longer accepted in
the ways of the past. A modern police officer has
every right to the benefit of State protections; and
as an employer the State has a duty of care for each
employee. The derived level of personal risk that
each garda is assigned must be reflected in
remuneration to compensate for any heightened or
uncertain risk; public opinion now appears to reflect
this. Few employments require the wearing of an
anti-stab or an anti-ballistics vest as basic, standard
safety equipment.
1.7 In the event that specific issues arise for
consideration for revision, the Association adjudges
that it will be in the ultimate interests of all parties
(and entirely appropriate in the context of
‘partnership’ and ‘joint decision making’ processes)
that it be invited to make supplementary
submissions, serving to assess the implications of
any proposed revisions. During the recent pay
reductions resulting from the global economic crisis,
coupled with deteriorating employment conditions,
the Association contained the anger,
disillusionment and sense of betrayal felt by our
members, and steered a path that avoided industrial
action but has resulted in our members frustration.
We now require meaningful engagement to become
tangible improvement in morale, optimism and
enthusiasm. Our members need hope.
1.8 In recent years the Association’s membership has
been subject to increasingly oppressive financial
pressures with more demanding workloads set in
decreasing and deteriorating resources. The
massive contribution of An Garda Síochána to the
current economic recovery should not go unnoticed
or without acknowledgement.
1.9 Data provided to the Association by the Minister for
Justice and Equality (August 2014) demonstrated
that the budget allocation to An Garda Síochána
dropped from €1,577,538,000 in 2008 to
€1,239,488,000 in 2014 – a decline of over 21%.
Data provided to this Association by the Garda
Commissioner’s office in September 2014 showed
that the gross expenditure for the total pay bill for
An Garda Síochána declined by over 12% over the
38th Annual Delegate Conference
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