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Gardaí protesting in Dublin over non-restoration of pay cuts

Members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) are demonstrating against emergency financi...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.28 19 Jul 2016


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Gardaí protesting in Dublin ov...

Gardaí protesting in Dublin over non-restoration of pay cuts

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.28 19 Jul 2016


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Members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) are demonstrating against emergency financial legislation outside Government Building this morning.

Under the FEMPI legislation, which was introduced last year, union members that rejected a collective agreement can be subject to a range of punitive measures.

The penalties include non-restoration of pay cuts, an increment freeze, loss of protection from compulsory redundancy and the loss of supervision payments.

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New gardaí earning €23,171 are due to receive a pay increment of €2,301 after one year, bringing their wages to €25,472.

The imposition of FEMPI, along with the loss of their €4,017 annual rent allowance, means they are now paid €6,000 less than they should be, according to the GRA.

The organisation is calling for the legislation to be postponed until a garda pay review, a condition of the Haddington Road agreement, has been completed.

'Deteriorating conditions'

Speaking at a protest in Dublin last month, GRA president Ciaran O'Neill said its members will not enter into negotiations on the Landsome Road agreement until the review has been finished.

"We have worked hard to fulfil the obligations of the Haddington Road agreement," he said.

"We have accepted the pay cuts imposed upon us and worked an extra three days annually for three years without payment.

"Since 2013, we have also had to put up with deteriorating conditions in our jobs as stations around the country were closed, as we were denied opportunities for promotion and the numbers of retiring gardaí now outnumbers new recruits.

"Our members have done everything that was asked of them, but the government has failed to fulfill the commitments they made."

Today's demonstration begins outside the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at 10.30am.


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