Garda Representative Association

We've had a certain amount of interesting developments in RT this morning.

We are, however, broadcasting and I'm joined in studio now by Niall Hodgins, President of the Garda Representative Association.

Niall, good morning to you.

Good morning, David.

You're not the only Garda on campus today.

Yeah, and I suppose 34 years ago I would have commenced my career here in the local station and I want to commend my two colleagues there at the front entrance who were doing their job and of course clearly wouldn't allow the Garda representative association president in with his car and rightfully so because yet again, having to keep the area sterile and in a professional manner it doesn't matter who you are and they quite rightly and they assisted me with parking somewhere else and I was able to get here for the interview so

well we do appreciate you making that effort because you were supposed to be talking to us at nine o'clock before we were so rudely interrupted and the reason we wanted to talk to you was that you had a meeting of members of the GRA in the Midlands last night you were in contact with senior garden management what is the latest on the planned work to rule action

Yeah, and that meeting yesterday, which was quite elongated and went on all day for us, was preceded by an in-person meeting there with the Garda Commissioner, which in my time in advocacy in the Garda Representative Association will be unprecedented that the Garda Commissioner wanted to address our executive.

That's as part of a separate dispute.

involving the Garda Representative Association and Garda management over working time agreements and overtime.

So absolutely, the last thing the government will want to see is a big nationwide public sector strike on the Wednesday, just as leaders are starting to arrive in the country.

Now, it should be said, it's not unusual for talks to break down in the way we saw over the weekend.

What has the GRA said about this action and what does it actually mean for rank and file Gardaí on those days?

Yeah, so the Garda Representative Association is unhappy that what it sees is multiple breaches of a working time agreement between its members and Garda management.

It says that because of the EU presidency, which has been run... from July and ends in December and seen hundreds of EU meetings and many high profile ones in Dublin and Cork and elsewhere in the country.

There's been a large number of what's called extraordinary events, which allows the commissioners and Garda management to change starting times and change rosters for long term planning.

but we're turning now to the GRA, the Garda Representative Association, because, of course, that possible industrial action by frontline Garda will be discussed today.

The Garda Representative Association Central Executive Committee will be meeting today on the matter.

This is on foot.

of the GRA survey which found over 94% of members backed industrial action with almost the same amount supporting a work to rule during EU presidency events.

Among others, by the way, yourself, Michael McDool in the Shannon has made contributions.

The Garda Representative Association has suggested a public inquiry to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

Now, In my experience, the most reluctant thing any government these days in terms of inquiries to do is a public inquiry, which I think amounts to a tribunal.

We've had some bad experiences with that in the past.

Two further cases of wrong-way driving on the M50 alone this week.

Arrests have been made in them, but the Garda Representative Association is calling for more resources and protocols to be put in place to tackle what is becoming a growing scourge.

James Morrisroe, the Deputy General Secretary of the GRA.

Morning, James.

Okay, we'll leave it there for now.

Thanks very much for joining us.

James Morrisroe, Deputy General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association.

One listener on this says, for anyone that's driving the wrong way on a motorway or a dual carriageway, or indeed on any road, it should be five to ten years in prison.