Garda Representative Association to ballot gardaí on possible industrial action
December 7, 2009 by Infowars Ireland
PJ Stone (third from left) at the Garda Representative Association (GRA) press conference in Dublin today. From left; Terry Leonard, Damien McCarthy and Michael O'Boyce
Rank and file gardaí are to be balloted on taking industrial action despite such a ballot or any withdrawal of labour by a Garda member being a criminal offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
The move by the Garda Representative Association (GRA) represents a major escalation between public sector workers and the Government over cutbacks and mooted pay reductions.
Rank-and-file gardaí will be balloted in the next two weeks as to whether they are willing to withdraw their labour on future days of protest organised by Ictu.
GRA general secretary PJ Stone said his association had decided to hold the unprecedented ballot because his members now felt “valueless and worthless”.
He denied he was “putting it up to” the Government and senior Garda management. “We’re not putting it up to anybody. But we are being upfront in our actions.”
In a reference to the ‘Blue Flu’ action of ten years ago – when gardaí rang in sick for a day as part of a row over pay – Mr Stone said some people had seen it as a “dishonest action”.
This time the mooted action was clear and honest. It had been brought about because Garda staff associations had not been given a place at the negotiating table during last week’s talks on public sector savings.
The cutbacks and levies that had already been imposed meant Garda pay was “going back” nearly 15 years.
Mr Stone said the GRA had not taken legal advice on the legality or otherwise of holding a ballot.
He and his fellow members of the GRA executive were willing to face the consequences of their actions. He described the mooted industrial action as the “ultimate step”.
Under the Garda Siochána Act 2005 it is a criminal offence for a member of the force to withdraw their labour or to induce anybody to withdraw their labour.
On conviction the offence carries a penalty of up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to €50,000. Read more…
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Good for them. Resistance is not futile. The government can’t do anything if they ALL decide to strike or whatever. Cowering Cowen will probably just mumble a few impotent words about how great things have become because of EU integration or some such cock and bull story. Yawn.