The Garda Representatives Association (GRA) was maintaining its silence last night on the prospects of talks to avert four days of planned strikes by rank-and-file gardaí next month.
A spokeswoman, asked if talks, either directly with the Department of Justice or at the Workplace Relations Commission, were planned said: "At the moment the GRA is not making any comment."
A spokesman for the Department of Justice was not aware of any planned talks.
The stalemate continues as communities across the State brace themselves for four 24-hour withdrawals of service by gardaí on Fridays in November, from 7am until 7am on Saturdays.
Friday is considered one of the worst days and nights of the week for public order problems, potential burglaries if people are away and road traffic accidents.
Unpleasant prospect
Tánaiste and Minister for Justice,
Frances Fitzgerald
, said yesterday it would not be helpful to speculate on what alternative policing would be arranged should the strikes go ahead.
Quoted in the Sunday Independent, she said: "I don't want to contemplate a scenario where the gardaí are not on the streets and are not preventing, interrupting and prosecuting crime. I don't want that scenario and I don't think anyone in the country wants that but I do understand, and the Government understands, the difficulties public sectors, including gardaí have been through. I want to find a pathway of agreement to deal with pay restoration."
In a parallel development, cleaners at the Garda training college in Templemore, Co Tipperary, will begin a work-to-rule from this morning over pay and conditions.
Their trade union Impact says the cleaners are the “lowest paid civil servants” in the State, paid the lowest legally permissible wage.
