Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will not be removed from his position if members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) vote no confidence in him amid a dispute over rosters, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.
“That won’t happen, Mr Varadkar said, adding: “The Government has confidence in Commissioner Harris. It’s not the case that the teachers in the staff room decide who the principal is. It’s not the case that the players decide who the coach is.
“The Garda Commissioner was appointed by the Government after a fair and free process that people can apply for, and we stand over that appointment and we have confidence in him,” Mr Varadkar said.
A meeting between the commissioner and GRA ended without resolution of the ongoing dispute, and the GRA moved to put a ballot of no confidence in the commissioner to its members.
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Mr Harris remains “absolutely determined” to end the contingency rosters for members of the force in early November, however, and will not be swayed by the tactics of the Garda associations, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The Irish Times understands Mr Harris was angered and “frustrated” by the GRA’s decision to put a ballot of no confidence in him to its members. He believes that vote, which is likely to pass, makes it harder to resolve the worsening dispute over the rosters issue.
“It means this becomes more entrenched, one side digging in and focusing on targeting a person rather than resolving an issue,” said one source.
Another said it appeared the GRA was “playing the man, not the ball”.
However, sources in the GRA said Mr Harris’s approach was inflexible, with one describing it as “old school management” based on the assumption that because the commissioner was “the boss, he must be obeyed”.
[ GRA to go ahead with vote of no confidence in commissioner Drew HarrisOpens in new window ]
Last month, Mr Harris surprised the GRA and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) by announcing contingency rosters introduced for the pandemic period were ending.
He said the force would revert to pre-pandemic rosters from November 6th after three years of negotiations on moving to completely new rosters had failed to bring about agreement.
That decision represented a change in his approach as he had initially intended to move the Garda force from the Covid-19 rosters on to completely new rostering arrangements.
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The intended new rosters had been very strongly opposed by the GRA and AGSI and an impasse had become protracted. As a result of that dispute, the pandemic rosters were extended more than 15 times and remain in place long after the pandemic ended.
The change back to pre-pandemic rosters, commencing on November 6th, will see gardaí moving away from the contingency rosters in place since March 2020 which involve working 12-hour shifts for four days, followed by four days off. They will move to working 10-hour shifts for six days and then having four days off.
The dispute arises because the 12-hour shifts introduced for the pandemic have proven very popular and a very large number of Garda members want to retain those working arrangements long-term.
The 12-hour shift enables Garda members complete their week’s work in fewer days, resulting in more days off. This is seen as more family-friendly, with gardaí also saving on the costs associated with travelling to work, including fuel for their vehicles.
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AGSI has said some Garda members would work up to 47 extra shifts per year under the new regime.
Both AGSI and the GRA say if the rosters Mr Harris wants to move to long term are introduced, some Garda members would lose up to €2,000 in allowances for unsocial hours.
Mr Harris invited the leadership of the GRA to a meeting in Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, on Thursday morning, though that meeting failed to bring about progress.
After the meeting, Mr Harris issued a statement making it clear he will reintroduce pre-pandemic rosters from November 6th, while the GRA reiterated its intention to hold the ‘no confidence’ vote.
Aside from rosters, the Garda associations are also concerned about falling Garda numbers and the high workload created for its members due to the personnel shortages. The associations have also pointed out Garda members were being suspended for years after allegations were made against them.
[ Helen McEntee backs Drew Harris, questions merit of no confidence vote by gardaíOpens in new window ]
Mr Harris told the GRA on Thursday recruitment had recommenced since the pandemic and that Garda numbers would soon stop falling and begin to increase again. The Garda force was at a record 14,750 members at the beginning of the pandemic, which forced the closure of the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary. Numbers have since fallen to just below 14,000.
With retirements from the Garda set to reach around 350 this year and resignations on course to reach up to 150, some 500 new gardaí will be required this year to maintain numbers. It was initially intended 1,000 recruits would enter the Garda College in 2023, though that target has been reduced to 800 over recent months.
Many Garda members say increasing resignations are clear evidence of low morale and extreme working conditions in the force. Some said during the early years of their service, resignations were so unusual news of them would spread around the Garda.
However, this was no longer the case as resignations had become commonplace and are on course to double this year compared to 2020.
