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THE Garda Representative Association (GRA) is protesting outside Leinster House against new cuts to pay proposed under the Croke Park II agreement.
About two dozen members of the GRA and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) took part in the demonstration, with one spokesman warning that the union may not be able to continue to contain the anger of the rank-and-file members of the gardaí.
PJ Stone, general secretary of the GRA, said that there is "a great deal of anger and frustration amongst the force generally, and we are doing our best to keep a lid on the frustrations and anger of the membership".
However he added that this may change.
"At the end of the day, you can only push people so far," he said, "and if you isolate people to the extent that they feel that nobody cares or that nobody's listening, well then sometimes you lose control. I hope that doesn't happen," he added.
John Redmond, general secretary of the AGSI which has 2,000 members, echoed this view.
"Our people are beyond anger at this stage. They're disappointed, they feel rejected, they feel very angry and very annoyed, and they feel that government and Garda management are dismissive of their efforts to maintain a stable society," he said.
