The Garda Representative Association has agreed to postpone industrial action to allow for talks on new rosters after receiving fresh proposals from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
The breakthrough came during talks between Commissioner Harris and GRA bosses on Thursday morning followed by a meeting between all four garda staff bodies, including the GRA, and Garda management on Friday morning.
As the Irish Examiner reports, Drew Harris has agreed to the bulk of requests from the GRA, including that most, though not all, of its members stay on the existing Covid roster.
As part of his proposals, the commissioner will no longer reintroduce the old Westmanstown roster for all gardaí on November 6th, a key demand of the GRA.
The GRA officer board briefed its governing body – the Central Executive Committee – on Friday afternoon about the proposals and there was “overwhelming agreement” to defer actions and enter talks.
Under the proposals:
- Core units – frontline units – will stay on the Covid roster of four days on (12-hour shift) and four days off;
- Non-core units – such as divisional drug units, traffic units and community policing – will revert to the Westmanstown roster of six days on (10-hour shift,) and four days off;
- Office staff ordinarily used to working 9am-5pm will return to their pre-Covid working pattern;
- These rosters will continue pending the outcome of negotiations on a new roster, with the talks limited by a deadline, to be set on Monday.
In an email to its 11,000 members, the GRA said: “Over the past two days we have met with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and his senior leadership team where we are happy to report that significant progress was made which allowed the GRA’s Officer Board to now officially enter negotiations to try find a long-term solution to the rosters issue.
“As you are aware, previously the Commissioner had announced his intention to reimpose the pre-Covid, 2012 Westmanstown roster, which involves a ‘6 day on, 4 day off’ pattern for all members on a 10-week cycle.
"This would require the creation and deployment of five units and would commence in the week beginning November 6th, 2023.”
