Only 18 months after the infamous `blue flu' episode, rank and file garda are again in dispute, this time over the implementation of PULSE, a new £40 million computer system. PULSE replaces the existing Garda computer system which is not Y2K-compliant. The new system went on line earlier this week but most of the 11,000 strong force is refusing to operate it, in clear contravention of a direction from the Garda authorities.
The main staff body, the Garda Representative Association (GRA), is seeking additional pay to operate the system but the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, insists that no more money is available to meet the claim. Talks involving all parties have so far failed to secure a compromise. From what is known, the force's efforts to combat criminality have not been affected by the dispute, but serious problems could be encountered as the phased withdrawal of the existing Garda computer system (which is used for criminal, court, vehicle and firearm records) continues.
The public is entitled to be dismayed by the risk posed by this dispute and by the serious indiscipline again evident across the force. A letter-writer to this newspaper yesterday raised a pertinent question, which underpins how this dispute, like the `blue-flu', erodes the proud traditions of An Garda Siochana: if the gardai do not do what they are told, how can they expect others to do what the gardai tell them, he asked.
The `blue flu' helped to deliver an increase well above the Government pay guidelines of over 13 per cent, including a payment under Partnership 2000 and two per cent against future productivity. The fact that the force is in dispute yet again raises wider questions about the whole industrial relations landscape for the Garda. Indeed, there is the strong sense that this dispute is not about new technology per se. Rather, it may reflect a general sense of impatience among the force about pay levels and a belief that the Garda, like the nurses, can secure some kind of `special deal'. It may also reflect some concern that the combined effect of a more peaceful future in the North and more efficient technology may be to reduce overtime payments significantly.
Sooner or later, the dispute will be resolved. There is speculation that a four per cent increase, some kind of local bargaining clause and/or wider changes in working conditions might resolve it. For its part, the Government is vulnerable to the criticism that its industrial relations policy towards the force is too reactive. The issues in relation to Garda pay go far beyond the installation of new technology; the vexed issue of pay for performance has scarcely been addressed while the existing rosters and working arrangements require comprehensive overhaul. It may be that the Government will yet resolve the PULSE row by throwing money at the problem. But a better policy for the longer term might be to link a more generous pay settlement to radical changes in working arrangements.