The Garda Commissioner yesterday exhorted members of his force not to embark on strike action over the introduction of a £50 million computerised information system.
Mr Pat Byrne was speaking at the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association after it heard a proposal for industrial action to stop the introduction of the new system unless the force receives additional pay.
The GRA general secretary, Mr P.J. Stone, said the action being contemplated went "beyond the Blue Flu", a reference to the two days of industrial action in April and May last year when almost the entire 8,500 members of garda rank called in sick for two days.
Addressing GRA delegates yesterday in Tralee, Mr Byrne said industrial action of the type being contemplated put the introduction of the system at risk.
He said: "I fear your industrial relations dispute may bring you into a conflict which I cannot ignore. You should consider the consequences of your strategy. Don't play into the hands of those who have another agenda for the structure of the Garda Siochana.
"I therefore exhort the conference not to bring us into collision while those responsible for the failure to progress the talks avoid the collision and course and watch from the sidelines."
He said as Commissioner he could not afford to have "a do-nothing policy.
"I cannot pretend that safety measures and operational effectiveness are guaranteed for the new millennium."
He agreed to putting back the first phase of introducing the system, known as PULSE (police using leading systems effectively) until July when the new computer network would began to handle data on general inquiries, incident response, firearms, court case outcomes and incident analysis.
He went on: "It is not possible to limp along with the old system into the year 2000. We cannot keep cancelling and hope to recover.
"In a few weeks' time the choice has to be made. Will we be forced to cancel PULSE and return to pen and paper for the start of the millennium? Will you write off any hope of receiving a pay increase? Do we look forward to the 21st century in hope, or back to the 19th in failure? I have rarely seen an issue so finely balanced.
"I will do all in my power to seek a solution, but success can only be achieved if your decisions are prudent and give no opportunity to others to damage the basis for pay increases or to alienate public opinion."
Earlier Mr Stone said members would not be "bullied" into introducing the system without adequate compensation.
He said the issue was the "principle" of not allowing members to be intimidated into introducing the system without receiving extra pay.