Disunity is not always a source of weakness. If the Garda Representative Association had not split in 1994, it is doubtful if the recently reunited organisation would be in the powerful bargaining position it holds today.
The GRA split because its leadership, mindful of the interests of older members, negotiated a pay deal in May 1994 under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work which converted the 3 per cent productivity rise into higher pensions.
The split which followed led to paralysis on the industrial relations front. It took four years to heal that split, during which there was little progress on industrial relations. A march on the Dail by the rump GRA in March 1997 was poorly attended and the then minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen, rejected the notion that garda pay was out of line with other public sector workers. She referred it to a steering committee of the Strategic Management Initiative.
It was a decision for which the rainbow coalition paid a high price in the June 1997 election. Fianna Fail capitalised on garda discontent with a "zero tolerance" campaign against crime complemented by promises to address their long-standing pay grievances. Just how firm were the pay commitments the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, gave to the GRA when he was in opposition, remains in dispute.
However no one denies that the return of Fianna Fail to power raised expectations in the reunited GRA to a dangerously high level - dangerous in terms of public sector pay guidelines.
Disenchantment began with the Budget. The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, gave a stern warning that any new pay deal had to be within the constraints imposed by the local bargaining clause of the PCW.
Efforts to assuage members of the Garda with an initial offer of 5.5 per cent were dismissed as "insulting and derisory" by Mr John Durcan, president of the GRA's more moderate sister union, the Association of Garda Sergeant and Inspectors, when Mr O'Donoghue addressed its annual conference last April.
Two weeks later, on April 21st, more than 3,500 GRA members marched through Dublin and there were warnings that "blue flu" was on the way if Garda pay demands for a flat, unconditional pay rise of 15 per cent was not conceded to compensate GRA members for lost pay parity with nurses, prison officers and other public sector grades.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, joined Mr O'Donoghue in warning the GRA that it could not expect anything above the PCW limit, even though the 3 per cent had now been stretched to 7.5 per cent - a figure comparable with the increases received by quite a number of public sector workers.
It was too little too late. The GRA picked May Day for its first day of action, or rather inaction, as "blue flu" struck 90 per cent of members rostered for duty that day, leaving many stations closed.
Buoyed by the result, the GRA executive decided to plan another day of action to coincide with the start of the Tour de France on July 11th. Within two weeks, the Government was talking about an improved offer which could be worth up to 13 per cent.
The Taoiseach said he believed there was "the basis for making progress" in the new offer, and simultaneously called IBEC and ICTU leaders into a meeting to give the proposals a clean bill of health. The social partners accepted that the terms did not breach public sector pay guidelines.
After intensive negotiations, the 28-strong executive of the GRA sat down yesterday to examine the new deal. They must see if the 9 per cent on offer - with the prospect of another 4.75 per cent under Partnership 2000 - is close enough to their original bottom line of an unconditional pay rise of 15 per cent.