‘Breakdown in trust’ behind move not to invite commissioner to GRA conference

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said its decision not to invite Commissioner Drew Harris to its annual conference reflects the “breakdown in trust” between him and rank and file gardai.

GRA president Brendan O‘Connor said the decision by the association’s Central Executive Committee was arrived at after a “very honest and forthright debate”.

The unprecedented move comes amid ongoing discontent with Garda members on a series of issues, including a long-running wrangle on proposed changes to working rosters.

Rank and file gardai also have issues around internal disciplinary and suspension processes along with other policies implemented by the Garda leadership.

Last September, more than 98% of GRA members voted no confidence in Garda Commissioner Harris.

Explaining the decision not to invite Mr Harris to the GRA Annual Delegates Conference in Westport, Co Mayo in April, Mr O’Connor said morale within the Garda was in “tatters”.

“This decision simply reflects the breakdown in trust in the relationship between the commissioner and the rank and file members we represent who gave us a unanimous and unambiguous indication of their feelings last September,” he said.

“The decision of the Central Executive Committee was arrived at after a very honest and forthright debate following consultation with their divisional representatives during which the strength of feeling about unresolved issues was very evident.

“The issues that contributed to the vote of no confidence continue to impact in a very real sense on the morale and working environment that our members still experience every day.

”At a time when our members feel increasingly vulnerable and exposed to danger, they require stability and support from internal structures.

“Unfortunately this is not the case and these challenges have coincided with a programme of change much of which has been implemented with minimal consultation and often without training.

“This coupled with an overarching atmosphere of fear created by the overzealous application of discipline and oversight are genuinely impacting on the ability of our members to do their job with confidence. It is far from a cliche to state that morale is in tatters.

“Therefore, the association could not maintain credibility if the commissioner is afforded an opportunity to articulate a management perspective and message at a conference which is the primary forum to reflect the very real concerns and frustrations of our members, many of which are a direct result of initiatives and policies implemented by the Commissioner in the absence of meaningful consultation.”

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has been invited to the conference.

She has not yet confirmed whether she will attend.

Commenting on the move not to invite the commissioner, the minister expressed concern at the “repeated personalisation” of the industrial relations issues within the Garda.

A statement from her department said: “The minister can confirm that she has received an invitation to the conference.

“She notes the ongoing IR issues but regrets the repeated personalisation of them as she believes dialogue and interaction are the only way forward in such situations.”

In a statement, the Garda said: “Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has not received any formal notification from the Central Executive Committee of the Garda Representative Association and cannot comment as he is not aware of the rationale for their decision.”