Interim Garda roster to begin within weeks as agreement is reached

Parts of the Garda force will move off pandemic rosters introduced 3½ years ago within weeks and revert to pre-pandemic rosters. After a final meeting on Monday between the four Garda staff associations and Garda management, all sides agreed to proceed with a compromise arrangement agreed in principle last week.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) had said it was seeking clarity on a number of points, believed to be around working hours for some of its members under the new deal. Having secured that clarity at Monday’s talks, AGSI has now given final sign-off to the deal reached last week.

That means while the entire Garda force was due to revert back to pre-pandemic rosters on November 6th, only noncore units will do so. Core units, mostly uniform gardaí, will remain on the pandemic rosters, pending agreement on a completely new roster for the Garda.

A statement from Garda Headquarters said the “interim roster” would “shortly” come into place. Though no date was set, sources said it was likely to be on November 6th. “It was also agreed at today’s meeting that all four Garda associations will within a short period of time engage with Garda management in internal negotiations on a new roster,” Garda Headquarters said.

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The hybrid compromise of core units remaining on the pandemic rosters, and noncore units reverting to pre-pandemic rosters, had previously been put forward as a proposal by both AGSI and the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents almost 11,000 rank and file gardaí in a near 14,000-strong force.

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AGSI wanted to return to pre-pandemic rosters, but only as an alternative to having rosters imposed on its members which had not been agreed between the Garda staff associations and Garda management. However, now that the hybrid roster it – and the GRA – proposed has been agreed, AGSI is satisfied.

The main dispute on the rosters issue has been between the GRA and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. The GRA held a motion of no confidence in Mr Harris, which was passed by a majority of almost 99 per cent last month. The GRA was very strongly opposed to pandemic rosters ending on November 6th as they have proven very popular with its members.

Under the pandemic rosters, gardaí work longer, 12-hour shifts on a four days on, four off pattern, rather than shorter shifts worked six days on, four off. The longer shifts mean gardaí get an additional six days off every 60 days and more of their hours worked are eligible for unsocial hours allowances. However, Mr Harris has said the pandemic rosters were so costly that some 13,000 Garda working hours were being lost each week.

The GRA two weeks ago decided on seven days of industrial action in protest at rosters introduced for the pandemic coming to an end on November 6th by order of Mr Harris. The GRA agreed gardaí would not volunteer for overtime on five Tuesday in October.

On November 6th they planned to ignore the order to return to pre-pandemic rosters and would continue to work pandemic rosters. And if there was still no resolution to the dispute, rank and file gardaí would withdraw their service – a strike in all but name – on November 10th. However, because a compromise deal has since been reached, those days of action are now cancelled.