The acting general secretary of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said he was optimistic the garda pay offer would be accepted. The deadline for the postal ballot is 5 p.m. tomorrow.
"I think it'll be carried," Mr PJ Stone said yesterday. "But it's very hard to know, and it will depend on the turnout."
Ballot papers have been sent to more than 8,600 rank-and-file gardai outlining the 9 per cent offer which ranges from 5.5 per cent to 13 per cent, across the pay scales. Most of the GRA national executive members have held meetings in recent weeks to persuade members to vote for the offer.
Mr Stone said it was "difficult enough" to gauge support for the offer from the mood of meetings. "You have people who will come and voice their opinion and people who will say nothing, and it's not clear if the silent ones are silent because they're for or against the deal."
It is believed that the offer was accepted by two thirds of the 28member executive last month. All members were instructed to recommend the deal, on the basis of the majority vote. However some opponents have been telling gardai to reject it. One circular to stations in Co Meath, signed by a GRA leader, has called the deal a "sell-out" and called on the negotiating team to resign.
At the GRA conference in Cork earlier this year, executive members promised delegates a 15 per cent pay offer in the first phase of negotiations.
It is believed that voting has been heavy. However, Mr Stone said he did not know the size of the ballot as the papers were being sent to the GRA auditors. A number of Dublin gardai are expected to hand-deliver their ballots to the offices in Gardiner Place to meet tomorrow's deadline.
In at least two Dublin GRA constituencies there have been calls for a motion of no confidence in the executive, and a rejection of the offer. These have been echoed in stations outside Dublin. Opponents of the offer have predicted that it will be rejected. However no one is willing to predict the outcome on the record.
Counting of the ballots is expected to take place in GRA headquarters at Phibsboro Tower in Dublin on Wednesday morning. The result is expected to be known by early afternoon. A simple majority is needed for the deal to be accepted.
The offer, based on 9 per cent, consists of 5.5 per cent, plus 1.5 per cent for past productivity and 2 per cent for future productivity. Mr Stone said the latter issue had been most often raised at meetings. "Most of the questions have been in relation to the future productivity," Mr Stone said. "Generally when it's explained people accept that these are not the core issues."
The GRA executive is due to appoint a new general and deputy general secretary next month. Mr Stone said this decision would not be influenced by the ballot result. "Whatever happens in this ballot the national executive will go on and appoint a general secretary."
