Garda strike: ‘They are under pressure, angry and morale is low’

This day next week, barring a breakthrough, the 12,871 men and women of An Garda Síochána will be reflecting on having effectively gone on strike to seek restoration of recession-related pay cuts.

“Nobody wants to do it, they really don’t. People are worried but we’re broke. We have to take a stand and we have to stand together,” says one Garda sergeant as the first day of the planned withdrawal of service – a strike in all but name – edges closer.

It will be the first such action in the history of the force, with only the so-called Blue Flu on May 1st, 1998, coming close to it.

Less than one week out from the first of four 24-hour service withdrawals by rank and file gardaí, sergeants and inspectors – of which there are about 12,500 combined – have mixed feelings.

“People are obviously talking about it more in their conversations around the place and I’d say that, yes, there are some nerves setting in,” said one Garda inspector. “It was probably easier to threaten you are going to do this than actually do it. But the time is coming when we will have to [withdraw service] and we’re united and we are going to do this.”

Another member of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said there were varying degrees of militancy and confidence or doubts across the force.

“Members in Dublin and a few other places have worked more overtime, it’s something they get much more often than people in the country,” he said.

“So they have probably not felt the pay cuts quite as much. But for the people in rural areas with very little overtime, a lot of whom commute long distances to work; the level of anger is huge.”

Older members

A rank and file garda member, represented by the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said there was fear within the organisation that the planned four Fridays of industrial action would damage the force's reputation with the public. "I'd say for older members; they have that sense of the special relationship between the organisation and the public," he said.

“I think they regard that as important and they would be concerned we might be risking that a bit. But the younger people, even people in their 30s with maybe 10 or 15 years’ service; they feel that special relationship less.”

Others say with AGSI and the GRA having both been given access to the Workplace Relations Commission on Monday to try to resolve the dispute, progress had been made. "One of our demands in this is to get those rights that trade unions have so we have to see this is already working," said one.

Others pointed to the fact that many on higher salaries in the Garda would from next April see some of their pay restored. The cut of about 7 per cent imposed on public service higher earners in 2013 will be restored in increments.

“There’s hope for them, they are getting something but there’s nothing for us,” said one garda.

Another GRA member agreed. “If you are in [the Garda] for 10 years or so, you feel that you have been treated very badly from the start. So they don’t feel any special relationship with the public and they don’t care about that.

“They are under pressure, angry and morale is low. There’s been lots of cuts in pay and overtime, and there was no promotions for a long, long time.

“So some of the younger ones feel trapped; the job is not what they expected. It’s not what they joined up for.”