General Secretary Report To ADC 2025

GENERAL SECRETARY RONAN SLEVIN’S ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GRA’S 2025 DELEGATE CONFERENCE

It has been a pleasure to serve as your General Secretary over the past 12 months and I can report that it has been an extremely busy year once again for the Garda Representative Association as the Officer Board, Central Executive Committee and Secretariat have continued to negotiate with management and government for better pay, conditions, working environment and the safety and well-being for all of our members.

So much has changed during the past 12 months. We witnessed two national ballots on pay and rosters, with both endorsed by the Central Executive Committee and passed by the membership in huge numbers. The pay ballot ensured better rewards for our members and aspects of this agreement are still very much a work in progress. As outlined later in this report, and throughout the number of Reports submitted by our Treasurer, Frank Thornton, and those of our elected Sub-Committees, we will continue to fight on your behalf to improve pay on all levels, from those entering training right through to those who extend their service towards the final years of their career in AGS. Furthermore, we will continue to fight for better pension conditions alongside our colleagues in other essential front-line services.

The second ballot was on the issue of rosters. This was the culmination of four years of negotiations with garda management and I am happy to say that it was a fight that we won, with a better roster and more certainty for the majority of our membership. We were never going to achieve everything that we hoped for, but I believe that the result was a resounding success and one which provided much needed clarity and certainty for our members. Both the negotiations and resulting ballots on pay and rosters is set out below in greater detail later in this report.

There has also been a number of talks, discussions and significant progress on such matters as Sub and Travel rates, pensions, suspensions, and of our serious concerns with regard to the Conduct & Performance Rules and Regulations, which I go through in more detail over the following pages.

The following are just some of the main issues and progress achieved by the Association leadership in the past year:

Rosters

The Midlands Working Time Agreement 2024 was agreed by Garda Management and the Garda Staff Associations and came into force on the 30th September 2024. This was the culmination of fresh negotiations on roster platforms that the GRA proposed which were eventually accepted by Garda Management as a result of action taken by the entire membership.

Without the support of all our members I have no doubt we would not have achieved the rosters that you, our membership, desired. These new roster platforms and working time agreement will ensure members continue to work the roster they sought with the protections enshrined within the WTA for the foreseeable future.

Within that agreement a rosters working group was established, which is to resolve any issues which arise within the application of the WTA, and will also accept any new roster proposal which is put forward by any party to the WTA. The working group is made up of representatives from all the garda staff associations and garda management and continues to be chaired by Gerry Rooney.

Pay 

The current pay proposal has just over 12 months to run and has already seen a 6.25% pay rise for all members. There is a 1% pay rise due in August 2025 with a further 2% during the first six months of 2026. Additionally, there is a total of 3% being allocated to Local Bargaining, of which 1% will be payable in September 2025. A further 2% is promised under the successor to this agreement, but the details of that payment are yet to be agreed.

Local Bargaining is allocated to deal with any outstanding claims and any new claims over the life term of this agreement. The Association is currently examining all current claims while considering other claims which must be accepted by DPENDR, which will hopefully ensure that the 3% available will be distributed as fairly as possible throughout our members.

The way the Association was treated by DPENDR during the last pay talks was exclusionary and disgraceful.

We were intentionally excluded from any meaningful negotiations and had no input into the final document that was presented as a fait de compli in the early hours of 26th January 2024. When the Association met Minister O’Callaghan in March, I outlined to him that the parity of esteem inclusion in the last pay talks didn’t work and we would not be partaking in any future talks if offered under that process. As a group of workers who are forbidden from being represented by any other organisation, it is absolutely vital that we are present at the negotiation table.

Conduct & Performance Rules and Regulations

As a result of the Government enacting the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act in 2024, new regulations were required to replace the Discipline Regulations 2007. These new regulations are the Conduct, Performance and Standards of Professional Behaviour Regulations 2025. The Association, with our solicitor Liz Hughes, prepared and submitted extensive and detailed submissions on all the drafts received and engaged in intense negotiations on the conduct regulations with Liz Hughes’s assistance.

We have been successful in achieving a huge amount of change to the conduct regulations which were the main focus of the department but there remains a number of serious issues of concern. The major issues of concern regarding these regulations are as follows:

1. The Regulations are significantly more adversarial in nature than the Discipline Regulations which they are replacing 

2. The Appeal Board has been abolished and replaced with an Appeal Officer who is a retired Judge

3. The Department told us that prior findings under the Conduct Regulations would not be considered by anyone deciding proceedings under the Regulations until after the matter had been determined but that is not reflected in the Regulations – in fact a deciding officer/Board can decide whether, or not, they want prior records

4. A Member acquitted of criminal conduct can face discipline for the same conduct notwithstanding the acquittal

5. Reg 27 admission of conduct must be provided before it is determined whether the conduct may constitute gross misconduct

6. A Member cannot withdraw a Reg 27 admission once a determination has been made

7. The presence of a presenting officer at a misconduct meeting remains in the Regulations

8. The Report of the Investigating Officer will contain prejudicial opinions

9. There is no mechanism to cross-examine the Investigating Officer, in fact, there is no procedural right for the Member to respond to the Investigating Officer’s comments once the Member has raised his or her objection

As the departments’ main focus were the conduct regulations, no meaningful discussion took place regarding the performance regulations. In fact the last draft the GRA received was on the 18th March. We compiled detailed submissions which were given to the department on the 24th March, only to be informed that the performance regulations were finalised on the 26th March. The rushed nature of the introduction of these regulations is obvious as issues raised by the GRA regarding the conduct regulations that were changed, still remain within the performance regulations. The main issues are

1. Involvement of civilian staff

2. Appeal to a Deputy Commissioner only

3. The timeframes are so important – and so tight

4. Non-compliance with timeframes could adversely affect a Member over which they have no control, and result in dismissal

5. There is no right to cross-examine under the Regulations – this is significant given that failure by the Garda Authorities could result in the performance plan and review mechanisms failing

6. The potential for subjectivity is extremely broad as the opinion of one first line manager of unsatisfactory performance or attendance could differ from another first line managers

Resulting from these regulations, new policies are required internally to facilitate them. Despite writing to the Commissioner in October 2024, no consultation occurred regarding any policy and on the 2nd April, the Commissioner moved to implement 12 interim policies. The Commissioner indicated that these interim policies would be consulted and negotiated on over the next 3 months in order to achieve agreement of the necessary policies. The Commissioner also informed us that he was implementing 2 suspension policies, which contained conditions that were previously rejected by the GRA. This attempt to force through unagreed policies is unacceptable to the GRA. The fact that the Commissioner used the enactment of the new conduct and performance regulations in order to disguise and justify this was disingenuous and I have informed him that we are disputing these policies.  

Our members are now treated less favourably than every other employee in the State. As Gardaí we are exempt the Unfair Dismissal Act and can’t access the Labour Court. Under the previous discipline regulations, the appeal panel was established to reflect the composition of the Labour Court and national best practice of having an independent chairperson accompanied by an employer and employee representative. These regulations establishes a less favourable appeal method, a sole independent chair, and I believe this change reinforces how our members rights and protections are constantly being attacked and eroded by Government and the Commissioner.

We will monitor the application of these new regulations and the Association will ensure that we take up the Minister’s commitment to a review of these regulations.

There is no doubt that our members have benefited enormously by the Association engaging with the Department on these regulations as huge changes were achieved over the course of this engagement. While we failed to achieve all that we sought, what has issued as the final regulations are a far cry from what was initially proposed.

This was achieved by the hard work of the working group and the negotiations team. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to Paul Crowley, who’s knowledge and experience was immense. I want to especially thank Liz Hughes, who worked tirelessly on short timelines to review and produce detailed submissions and her expert advice and assistance during negotiations was invaluable.

Subsistence and Travel

The GRA, in conjunction with the other garda associations, are currently in the WRC trying to agree improved rates to our current scheme, which are reflective of the rates applicable in 2002. During negotiations, DPENDR was insistent that our current scheme would not be increased more than 10% if we wished to retain the conditionality that we currently have.

To ensure our members accessed equal rates as every other public servant employee, DPENDR insisted that our conditions changed to reflect the public service. Two further exceptions were proposed, which catered for the operational uniqueness in An Garda Síochána.  Where members were directed to perform duty within 50kms of their home station but would require an overnight, they could claim up to the overnight rate of €205 once it was vouched. For daily subsistence, any member performing duty and absent from their station from 0-8kms and who could not return to their station or were unable to avail of a rest break, would also be eligible to claim a slightly reduced subsistence rate. Neither of these aforementioned exceptions exists in any other area of the public service.

The scheme currently with Revenue, if approved, will be linked to CPI, which will ensure that these rates will increase in line with the public service scheme and will not require further negotiations to achieve increases. Work is continuing regarding this proposed scheme and the associated documents and changes that would be required if the scheme is accepted.

Pensions

After repeatedly raising the issue regarding the claiming of the supplementary pension, a circular was issued last August which streamlines the process for retired members to access the payment. While this was greatly welcomed, some conditions regarding eligibility for qualifying for the payment were changed. The current advice from DPENDR indicates that certain forms of income will now invalidate members’ entitlement to claim in certain circumstances. The Association is querying these interpretations and have uploaded our pension booklet onto the new GRA website. This will be updated as our queries are clarified.

We continue to raise the issue regarding post 2013 pensions. The Association is part of the alliance that represents other blue light services whose members are in the same predicament as ours. The goal of this campaign is to have our Government allocate the OSP to all post 2013 members, thus ensuring that our members will have a pension that will provide for them in retirement.

Contact with the new Minister

The officer board met with the new Minister, Mr Jim O’Callaghan, on the 27th February to brief the Minister on the concerns of the membership, and what we believe are the considerable and concerning challenges we face regarding such issues as Conduct/Performance Regulations, Recruitment and Retention, Pensions, OPM, Suspension/Discipline, Pursuit and Sickness Absence Policies, Sub & Travel and WRC Claims. The Minister was informed of the struggles, frustrations and challenges that our members face on a daily basis as well as the consequences and effects that such stressful conditions have put on their working lives.

The meeting was extremely positive with the Minister indicating that he will give the matters raised his utmost consideration.

Following discussions on the regulations, and discovering the intention to enact the new regulations when negotiations had yet to be concluded, I contacted the Minister to outline the GRA’s concerns regarding the contents of the regulations and the intention of the Minister to introduce roles for garda staff in the performance of our members. The Minister disagreed with our position and has signed the regulations into force which allow garda staff to recommend our members for under-performance, under-attendance or conduct. The Association will ensure that his commitment to review these regulations is honoured, and we will be monitoring their application carefully.

Garda Review Magazine Board

Over the last 5 years, a new board of directors implemented a comprehensive restructuring plan. Key decisions were made to stabilize and revitalize the magazine’s financial health. The board significantly reduced the costs and introduced operational efficiencies to greatly reduce expenses, by redirecting advertising revenue away from the editor and back to the magazine and reducing the number of editions per year from 12 to 10. These changes resulted in Garda Review Ltd repaying the GRA its total loan of €261,000, with the final installment just last month. This repayment came years ahead of schedule. This achievement marks the culmination of a remarkable financial turnaround and underscores the resilience and strategic vision of the Board, supported by the GRA leadership and its members.

 IRO’s

The introduction and recruitment of four dedicated Industrial Relations Officers (IROs) into the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has significantly strengthened the Association’s ability to advocate for its members, particularly in pursuing workplace grievances through the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Prior to this development, many Gardaí faced systemic delays, procedural unfairness, and a lack of effective recourse when challenging workplace disputes.

The introduction of these IROs into the GRA has been transformative, providing members with a structured, legally sound avenue to challenge workplace injustices.

The involvement of these IROs has led to numerous successful adjudications, where Garda members have secured substantial compensation and corrective actions in cases involving unfair suspensions, bullying investigations, sick leave misclassification, and promotion delays. There have been some very notable and landmark WRC wins over the past year, some of which are highlighted later in the IROs Report, but I just wanted to thank Ciaran O’Neill (South Dublin & South Leinster), Conor Staunton (North Dublin & North Leinster), Dermot O’Brien (North Western Region) and Jason Collins (Southern Region) for their tireless work and dedication to their roles.

Recruitment & Retention

An Garda Síochána continues to struggle to encourage new trainees into the force. In advance of the General Election, the Association launched our plan to address this ongoing crisis, by increasing the trainee allowance to €35,000 a year while removing a number of points on the pay scale, and introducing a long service increment. While the Minister and Government have indicated that they will further increase the trainee allowance, we await any action on this.

An Garda Síochána seem powerless to retain the members they have. Over the last 5 years, over 2,000 members have retired or resigned and there seems to little or no reaction from Garda Management to halt this trend, and recruitment has barely matched these figures. Garda Management have to address this urgently instead of trying to justify these retirement/resignation figures by comparing them to other forces and national averages.

The Commissioner could have addressed the retention issue years ago if the message coming from our members and the Association was listened to and acted on. The failure to address such matters as the morale issue, the lack of appropriate training, pay and allowances and pension concerns over the last number of years has no doubt contributed to the exceptionally high exodus level that An Garda Síochána are currently experiencing.

Suspension/Discipline

On Wednesday 2nd April, the Commissioner implemented a new suspension policy and procedure. He provided no prior notice to the Association and tried to introduce these under the guise of it being required under the new conduct regulations. Prior to this, there has been no engagement on this proposed updated policy for over 10 months. The GRA made further submissions at that time but no further meeting had been arranged. Some of the issues raised by the Association and that were not addressed within this policy are that there is no independent review of a decision to suspend, and that members suspended suffer undue and unfair financial loss due to being reassigned to a weekly shift pattern (Mon-Fri 9-5). This prohibited members from obtaining additional employment in order to recoup their loss of earnings as a result of being suspended. Within this policy, the Commissioner has given himself greater powers to withhold suspension pay. The GRA immediately notified the Commissioner that we were opposed to this policy and that we were going into dispute.

Sickness Policy

Negotiations regarding a new sickness policy failed to achieve agreement with any of the garda staff associations. This policy proposes to change the definition of an injury on duty which will further dilute our members’ conditions. The Association has opposed it and will continue to do so. This policy is currently with the Garda Management, and we await another meeting that has been committed to.

The IRO’s have been extremely successful in the WRC with cases regarding the issuing of Code 11.37 for member’s illness/injury. The WRC have repeatedly ruled in favour of the members whose cases have been brought by the IRO’s. These successes reflects the persistent and continuing failings of garda management regarding the application of the current policy.

Conclusion

The last 12 months have been a busy and challenging period but we have managed to respond to the growing workload with the help of our dedicated staff, delegates and executive members. I want to acknowledge and thank you, the Representatives, who have carried out an oftentimes difficult and challenging role on behalf of our members, and recognise the dedication and expertise of our Central Executive Committee. In particular, I want to acknowledge the immense contribution and dedication of our President Mark O’Meara and Vice President Niall Hodgins.

I would like to thank the Standing Orders Committee Chairperson, Alan O'Donnell, Secretary Pat Murray, and the rest of the Committee for ensuring the smooth running of our Annual Conference without whom this would not be possible, and I would like to acknowledge the great work undertaken by our board of Trustees which include Peter Egan, Dominic Curtin, Damien Ryan Josephine Kirrane and Noelle Barrett (up for re-election).

I truly appreciate the immense contribution of a small but committed team of staff in GRA HQ, Deputy General Secretary James Morrisroe, Assistant to the General Secretary Tara McManus, our Office Manager Mary Martin, Aidan McHugh, Johanna Bourke and Vanda Jegeroviene. I also want to acknowledge the work of Margaret Jordan and Dermot Kearney in our Accounts Department in association with our Treasurer Frank Thornton.

I want to acknowledge the invaluable and longstanding support and advice provided by Liz Hughes from Hughes Murphy Solicitors. I thank Des Gibson of GPM Solutions for his continuing guidance on all matters relating to communication strategy and the media. The contribution of Patrick Ryan, Elon Technology, supervising and advising us on our I.T. needs has been both immense and invaluable.

I also want to remember our GRA friends and colleagues who we lost and have passed to their eternal rest since we last convened. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone here for their valued participation over these two days of Annual Conference and your continued efforts in shaping and improving our Association and look forward to meeting all our representatives over the next few days.

Thank You,

Ronan Slevin

General Secretary, GRA