GARDA SERGEANTS AND inspectors have voted to reject new roster proposals described as “difficult”.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) rejected the roster proposals by 63% in a ballot of members.

However, the memberships voted to accept proposals regarding pay by 93%.

General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham said the result on the pay proposals “brings stability and certainty around earnings in an economically challenging time for our members”.

She described the roster proposals as “difficult”.

“The overwhelming message from the membership during the nationwide series of in-person briefings ahead of the ballot were concerns around work-life balance, and family-friendly rosters,” Cunningham said.

“The proposals asked members to work 14 days out of 16 which the majority of members were very concerned about.

“They felt it would lead to burnout at a faster rate and disconnect them from their families.”

The AGSI is seeking an urgent meeting with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to discuss his plans regarding garda rosters.

The association’s national executive plans to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the result and impacts of the two votes.

The Journal reported last month that inspectors and sergeants in three counties had started to reject the proposed roster change.

And in August, the rank-and-file Garda Representative Association rejected the proposed new rosters, which would involve regular response units working a four-day shift rotation of twelve-hour shifts each.

Additional reporting by Niall O’Connor