The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has warned prison officers contemplating a strike over the current pay dispute that they should not underestimate him on the issue insisting he would "not be beaten".
He also claimed that members of the Prison Officers Association had approached some prison governors about the possibility of re-balloting its members on the pay deal, which was rejected by two to one in a recent ballot, despite the POA leadership recommending its acceptance.
The POA, which is due to meet the Minister tomorrow, did not comment on his remarks.
Speaking after the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association in Tralee, Co Kerry, Mr McDowell said the basic salary offer for officers of between €48,000 and €70,000 was "very generous". Any renegotiation was "unthinkable".
The officers were offered the increased salary in exchange for working seven hours overtime a week. "I'm saying to anybody who is contemplating industrial action, don't underestimate me," Mr McDowell said.
"I'm not for turning on this issue, it's one that I will not be beaten on. To use a phrase that has been used in the past: you can't beat city hall and on this one there will be no defeat of city hall. I can't renegotiate a deal that is subject to arbitration.
"The precedent value across the public service for a minister to do that would be absolutely unthinkable. It's not going to happen on this occasion especially in view of that fact this was an extremely generous deal."
"Members of An Garda Síochána and members of the Defence Forces have made contingency plans, visited prisons, and if it were necessary, which I hope it is not, to deploy them in order to maintain the security of the State I have no doubt that as a force they would give the State the loyalty that they always have done in the past."
When asked if his decision not to attend the POA's annual conference in Co Mayo next week might be viewed as antagonistic, Mr McDowell said: "I don't know about that. Let's go back to the beginning. I went to a prison officers' conference [ in 2003] and I found myself addressing the executive committee and everybody else turned their back and left the hall.
"I'm not going to a POA annual conference where they have a lot of internal things to work out. They have rejected the advice of their executive and I think it would be far more constructive if they resolved their issues themselves."
Meanwhile, the Minister also defended the Director of Public Prosecutions against criticism at the conference that the director is pursuing cases against gardaí that would not be taken against other citizens.
The general secretary of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), PJ Stone, claimed that some cases were being taken against gardaí even when there was no strong evidence.
The recent acquittals of several members of the force in respect of their actions during the May Day disturbances in 2002 were examples of this.
Mr Stone said the DPP needed to review his policies in relation to taking cases against gardaí.
But Mr McDowell said it was wrong of the GRA to imply its members were receiving special treatment from the DPP.
He said of the DPP: "He's an independent person, he's a high officer of State and I do not accept the proposition that he acts unfairly or that he pursues a different policy in relation to gardaí."
The POA said it would consider Mr McDowell's comments at its annual conference which begins in Castlebar next Thursday.