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Garda Representative Association (GRA)
HeadquartersPhibsboro Tower, Phibsboro
Location
Key people
  • Brendan O'Connor (President)
  • Mark O'Meara (Vice-President)
  • Ronan Slevin (General Secretary)
Officers of the GRA, Governing council rejects former GRA president for €150k general secretary role

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) is the staff association for police officers of the rank of Garda in Ireland, founded under statutory provisions.[1] Irish law prohibits members of the Garda Siochana from joining trade unions because of a view from Government that police industrial action would pose a risk to public safety. The GRA is a 1978 reconstitution of a Representative Body for Guards (RBG) set up under 1962 regulations. Three similar organisations exist for Gardai of other ranks up to that of Chief Superintendent.[2] As of March 2023, the association had a membership of almost 12,000.[3] It is funded by a levy of 0.6% of the base salary of all its members.[3]

History

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The JGRB and the Representative Body for Guards

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From 1927 to 1962, Garda members were represented for limited purposes by a Joint Garda Representative Body (JGRB); this body was criticised as dominated by senior officers and unable to secure needed changes in conditions of work.[4]: 17, 37–38  After a major and unauthorised meeting of hundreds of rank-and-file Gardaí at the Macushla Ballroom in Dublin, a chain of events led to the establishment by the then Minister for Justice, Charles Haughey, of three new representative bodies, divided by rank, including the Representative Body for Guards (RBG).[4]: 57  The new organisation was permitted to appoint a Garda, on secondment, as its full-time general secretary, the first such appointment, in June 1962, being of Jack Marrinan.[5]: 92–94  It was also permitted to form an executive committee of three, and to apply to the Garda Commissioner for permission to request a subscription from members. The three bodies could, and were required to if requested by the Garda Commissioner, form a temporary joint representative body.[6]

1978 reconstitution - the GRA

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Following a number of episodes, the three 1962 representative bodies were replaced by four new associations, including the Garda Representative Association. Unlike the previous body, the GRA is constituted as an independent unincorporated association, albeit it is required to comply with the provisions of the establishing regulations.[1] The new association began with 26 divisions and 110 districts, and a much-expanded structure of delegates to the central committee.[4]: 169  It held its first annual general meeting in May 1979,[4]: 190  and in addition to annual delegate conferences thereafter, it sometimes convened special conferences, such as one of policing reform in May 1983.[4]: 220  1988 saw the first female delegate to the annual conference of the association, which also received a report on a challenge by Garda detectives to the GRA's exclusive right of representation, lost in court;[4]: 259  this later led to the formation of a breakaway Garda Federation. After the Federation merged back into the GRA in 1997, the association took a strong line in negotiations with Garda management, culminating, in May 1998, in a coordinated "blue flu" campaign. This involved Garda members making themselves unavailable for duty by calling in sick en masse, and was described by one national newspaper as "“the first major industrial action in the force's 75 year history."[7]

In July 2023, the GRA announced that rank-and-file Gardaí would be balloted on a motion of no-confidence in the Garda Commissioner over roster disputes.[8] Commissioner Drew Harris stated that regardless of the outcome of the vote, he would not be leaving his position.[9] The vote was passed with 98.7% voting in favour and 1.3% against.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b Garda Síochána (Associations) Regulations, 1978 (S.I. No. 135 of 1978). Signed on 9 May 1978. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  2. ^ Moore, Kevin (10 December 1989). "Crunch talks for garda counselling". The Sunday Independent. p. 2.
  3. ^ a b McDonagh, Sean (2023). Candidate Briefing Document for the position of Deputy General Secretary, Garda Representative Association. Dublin: Lansdowne Executive Search. pp. 1, 2.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Doyle, Tim (2021). Changing of the Guard. Dublin: Currach Books. ISBN 978-1-78218-929-9.
  5. ^ Moore, Stephen, ed. (2022). The Guardians: 100 Years of An Garda Siochana. Dublin: O'Brien Press. ISBN 978-1-78849-339-0.
  6. ^ Garda Síochána (Representative Bodies) Regulations, 1962 (S.I. No. 62 of 1962). Signed on 13 April 1962. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  7. ^ Rae, Stephen; MKenna, Gene (1 May 1998). "Army stands by to ease Garda pay protest chaos". The Irish Independent. p. 1.
  8. ^ O'Connor, Niall (26 July 2023). "Rank and file gardaí to vote on no confidence motion in Garda Commissioner". The Journal. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  9. ^ Staines, Michael (9 August 2023). ""Whatever the vote is, I'm not leaving" - Garda Commissioner on no confidence vote". Newstalk. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  10. ^ Reynolds, Paul (13 September 2023). "GRA vote of no confidence in Harris passes unanimously". RTE News. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
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