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Leah Farrell via RollingNews.ie

Gardaí to begin withdrawing overtime in first of five Tuesdays of industrial action

They will enter a de facto work-to-rule by not working overtime on Budget Day, Halloween night and three other dates in October.

RANK AND FILE gardaí will withdraw from voluntary overtime today, in the first of five Tuesdays earmarked for industrial action.

They will enter a de facto work-to-rule by not agreeing to work overtime on Budget Day 10 October and Halloween night 31 October – as well as 17 and 24 October.

The gardaí have colloquially begun to call the action the “Drew Flu” – which is a reference to their 1998 withdrawal of labour known as the “Blue Flu, when gardaí called in sick in a dispute over pay and conditions.  

Last month, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) members took a vote of no confidence in Commissioner Drew Harris – with 98.7% of the 85% member turnout backing the motion. 

While the main gripe recently has been Harris’s intention to change garda rosters, the GRA says it’s more than that.

Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, Brendan O’Connor of the GRA said the vote of no confidence in Harris was not a misstep. 

“Our members have become very unsatisfied with a lot of things that are happening in the job. They felt their voice wasn’t being heard. We were being dismissed… this was building for quite a while,” he said.

He said the organisation deferred a vote of no confidence at last year’s AGM, “so the writing was on the wall that there were serious problems emerging”.

He said it was obvious that the problems “simmering under the surface” were going to “boil over”, despite the insistence of the Commissioner and Minister for Justice that there was no morale issues. 

Asked whether the GRA had personalised the dispute, O’Connor said it was not personal in nature but that it had become “very entrenched”, adding that some of the commentary surrounding the issue is very unhelpful and is leading to “irreparable damage to the relationship between the members and by default, the workforce and the leader”.

He said it remains the GRA’s position that it will not return to the negotiating table unless there is a withdrawal of the implementation of the old roster on 6 November.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said on Sunday that she had confidence in Harris and would not intervene in the dispute.

“I will not direct the Garda Commissioner nor will I direct members as to where or when or how they should be working,” she said.

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38 Comments
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    Mute William Tallon
    Favourite William Tallon
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    Sun 9:07 PM

    Double whammy. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down! Bummer…

    90
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    Mute CP
    Favourite CP
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    Mon 12:22 AM

    @William Tallon: Fliuch sake

    29
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    Mute Me Me
    Favourite Me Me
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    Mon 7:33 AM

    @William Tallon: No weather for a carpenter to be outdoors.

    6
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    Mute BJ Próvaí formerly Child of Drague
    Favourite BJ Próvaí formerly Child of Drague
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    Sun 8:43 PM

    Dirty rotten orange bast…

    120
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    Mute Mark
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    Sun 9:47 PM

    We need it after such a dry spell. Good for the grass and crops.

    49
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    Mute Alan Moloney
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    Mon 5:15 AM

    @Mark: can’t say we are short on water

    13
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    Mute FoxyBoiiYT
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    Sun 8:49 PM

    The rain here in Limerick for the last hour has been biblical!

    43
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    Mute BJ Próvaí formerly Child of Drague
    Favourite BJ Próvaí formerly Child of Drague
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    Sun 8:51 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: Doncha knoah it.

    17
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    Mute Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson
    Favourite Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson
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    Sun 8:55 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: That’s Angela’s Ashes weather. It piddled through that movie.

    33
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    Mute FoxyBoiiYT
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    Sun 9:37 PM

    @Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: I say that all the time! It’s Angela Ashes weather out there

    14
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    Mute CP
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    Sun 10:38 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: Angela lashes

    11
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    Mute FoxyBoiiYT
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    Sun 10:39 PM

    @CP: That’s extra

    8
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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Sun 11:28 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: Divine punishment!

    2
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    Mute John Paul
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    Mon 9:27 AM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: You’re always going on about how much of a kip Dublin is and you’re from limerick?

    2
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    Mute Mary Sullivan
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    Mon 12:41 AM

    I wouldn’t worry unduly. There was a red alert in Tipperary at around a quarter past four yesterday but by five o clock the forecast had been downgraded to that of a gentle breeze.

    21
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    Mute k owens
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    Sun 8:54 PM

    Hang on we get rain every day what’s the difference. Orange yellow.red .

    21
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    Mute kevin rock
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    Sun 8:55 PM

    @k owens: different severities .
    Good night now

    39
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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    Sun 9:02 PM

    @k owens: Every day?! Red, yellow, green. It’s a ‘traffic-light system’ used to categorise severities, rash management, decision-making, communication etc. Ask a family member or trusted adult for more information on this if required.

    43
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    Mute k owens
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    Sun 9:18 PM

    @Jack Hayes: all my family drowned in a flood . They were on Noah’s ark with yours.

    6
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    Mute You Cant Be Serious
    Favourite You Cant Be Serious
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    Sun 9:55 PM

    @k owens: so they won’t be at croaker in two weeks for the football?

    1
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    Mute Larry Betts
    Favourite Larry Betts
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    Sun 11:42 PM

    @Jack Hayes: it’s red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet weather. All the colours of the rainbow weather. Pride,in the Name of Floods. What,more? In the name of floods

    3
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    Mute Me Me
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    Mon 7:40 AM

    @Larry Betts: Primary colours:Red, Yellow and Blue. Orange between Red and Yellow. Green between Yellow and Blue and Violet (purple) between Blue and Red. Where did Indigo come from?? Who uses ‘indigo’? Newton put in Indigo to get 7 colours, the same as the 7 notes in the musical scale. Along with being a scientific and mathematical genius he was a bit of a nut-job and believed 7 was a mystical number. But the time has come……. let’s drop indigo!!

    2
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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Mon 10:02 AM

    @Me Me: What about Ultra Violet?

    1
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    Mute Glen Kelly
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    Sun 8:51 PM

    God help us all

    17
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    Mute Dar
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    Sun 9:25 PM

    Landscapers wet dream

    13
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    Mute p gert
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    Mon 1:47 AM

    What did ye think of the summer?

    10
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    Mute anthony lambe
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    Mon 3:51 AM

    @p gert: it was an Indian summer, gave a bit of sun and then took it back.!!!

    6
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    Mute KEN USSHER
    Favourite KEN USSHER
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    Mon 7:08 AM

    @p gert: National hosepipe ban incoming

    5
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    Mute lorraine leavy
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    Sun 9:55 PM

    Is westmeath not beside

    7
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    Mute Mickstawowy
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    Mon 5:48 AM

    After two weeks good weather in may I sai it was our summer this year and nobody listens

    5
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    Mute James Rowan
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    Mon 9:19 AM

    @Mickstawowy: and the 32 degrees on two days just little more than a week ago?

    2
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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Mon 10:34 AM

    Dunno why we’re not world leaders in coverings from the rain. We seem to prefer just being wet.

    1
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    Mute Áine G
    Favourite Áine G
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    Mon 5:14 PM

    Nothing in Dublin to see @ 17.00.

    1
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