Garda Sergeants and Inspectors have voted to take action for four days - if the Garda Commissioner does not come to the table.
In a major escalation in the ongoing dispute over rosters, the 150 delegates of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) today announced four “days of action" - but said that they won’t strike during US President Joe Biden’s visit next week.
However officers say they will “cooperate under protest” during Biden’s five day visit to Ireland - with some taking annual leave.
READ MORE: Inside Joe Biden’s ring of steel for Irish visit with secret service, the Beast and Air Force One
The proposed four days of action are due to take place in May, June, July and August.
Speaking to reporters at the second day of their national conference in Salthill, Galway, AGSI General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham said she wanted to reassure the public that there won’t be a disruption next week.
“So very firmly I’d like to reassure the public that for the first one the visit next week there is no disruption to any public service.
“The days of action will be done by way of members on annual leave. There will be no disruption.”
Ms Cunningham said AGSI simply wants Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to engage with them in dialogue - but he has continuously stated that the process needs to go through the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
“All this Association wants to do is to find a resolution to that, so much so that we made three suggestions to the Garda Commissioner last week on rostering and how this impasse could be broken and he rejected all three.
“The Commissioner himself is the one with the fixed position saying it's the WRC or nothing.
“We would urge him when he comes here today to try and find a forum where we can all get into dialogue.
“It’s the only way this dispute is going to be resolved,” she said.
Ms Cunningham said that while officers will cooperate during Biden’s visit they cannot guarantee cooperation on further VIP visits.
However she said that the Association will withdraw their plans for action if a meaningful discussion with Garda Management takes place.
“The conference also agreed that the above actions would be set aside if meaningful internal negotiations take place on Rosters.”
Meanwhile Ms Cunningham announced that she had been informed that Garda management had withdrawn the recently imposed directive on ‘Gender Identity in the Workplace’ after AGSI called for officers to be educated on the issue first.
“It’s withdrawn now until consultation with the staff associations takes place within that we’ll be seeking a programme of education on how we can better support colleagues who wish to transition their gender and who want to go through the transition process,” Ms Cunningham said.
“The whole reason that we sought the withdrawal of this directive and I believe the reason that it has to be withdrawn is that the programme of education that is so badly needed in order to provide full and total support to colleagues who are transitioning and have transitioned in order to get this right.
“Because the worst thing we could do for people who wish to transition or have transitioned is misgender them, not give them the appropriate pronouns, not support them in the workplace, not provide the appropriate facilities – uniform, dress and anything else that they need in their transition.
“We as supervisors have a particular role in that, we want to support colleagues. So it’s more important to get this right rather than dropping a directive in without the appropriate information that is badly needed,” she said.
READ NEXT:
Man seriously ill in hospital after he was accidentally lifted into a bin lorry
Joe Biden's Ireland visit could be axed due to Jimmy Carter's ailing health
Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann finally gets answers as DNA test results are back
For the latest news from at home and abroad, visit our homepage
