Senior gardai who work during the millennium celebrations should be given a special payment of £1,000, delegates were told at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors conference in Cork yesterday.
The AGSI general secretary, Mr George Maybury, told the conference that the Garda Siochana will have all annual leave and rest days cancelled from December 30th until January 4th because of millennium celebrations.
The conference yesterday heard nine separate motions on the issue of an ex-gratia payment to members who are rostered to work on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Mr Maybury said there was a very good case for making a special payment to gardai as, unlike others who can choose to work or not, gardai have no choice but to work the millennium period.
"Our members will have to work while others enjoy themselves. In many respects that is not new, but for this special occasion, employees over a wide range of activities are offered substantial sums of money to work over the period," he said.
Mr Maybury said that the AGSI national executive had been considering the millennium issue for some time and had written to the other key emergency services along with the other Garda associations suggesting a joint report to the Government.
The response so far had been encouraging, said Mr Maybury, although he cautioned that the experience of St Patrick's Day this year suggested that the Garda and other emergency services could expect "a torrid time".
Mr Maybury pointed out that the 999 emergency system had to deal with a record number of calls on St Patrick's Day and that with the millennium celebrations there was potential for five days and five nights of very hard work.
"The Government will have to address the question of special payments in a fair and reasonable way," he said, adding that the Garda wished everyone an enjoyable millennium celebration but to ensure that would require adequate policing arrangements.
"The Government has set aside a large sum for the celebrations, and members of An Garda Siochana are entitled to their fair share of the millennium cake," said Mr Maybury to enthusiastic support from the floor.
Mr Sean O'Sullivan of Cork West Garda Division said: "We are entitled to a payment of £1,000, £1 for every year. The be-grudgers will say this is just the gardai being greedy again, but they should see us as realists rather than gluttons. There are computer company workers getting £1,000 for four hours' work."
An AGSI national executive member, Mr John Moloney, said the executive fully supported a joint special payment claim being made to the Government on behalf of other emergency service providers.
"As it stands, if nothing happens, we will get approximately £50 for working for the millennium," he warned.