Hi °C | Lo °C RANK-and-file gardai will lose around €400 in their monthly pay packets by the end of the year if they accept the terms of the proposed pay deal.
The terms of the deal are not as severe as the proposals which resulted in the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors and then the Garda Representative Association pulling out of the talks.
But they will still impact heavily on their monthly take-home pay and immediate reaction from the three ranks covered by the associations was that they could not afford to accept them.
A large number of officers indicated they would be unable to pay their mortgages and meet other financial commitments if they agreed to the deal.
The higher ranks – superintendent and chief superintendent – are expected to react to the proposals with their feet.
Several officers last night predicted a substantial exodus from the force in the top ranks in the next couple of months.
"This is a no-brainer," one officer said. "For anybody who has completed or is close to the 30 years service to qualify for a full pension, it makes no sense if there are incremental cutbacks." Already, a deputy commissioner and some detective superintendents are to leave the force early.
Campaign
The leadership of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors will meet today to determine the next step in its campaign against the proposed cuts in members' pay packets.
The meeting is due to go ahead although up to late last night the association's general secretary John Redmond and president Willie Gleeson had not returned from a holiday overseas.
Meanwhile, two military representative groups are set to lose part of their battle to hold on to special allowances.
PDFORRA, which represents soldiers, sailors and air corps personnel, and the officers' association RACO, are both studying the likely impact of the proposals on their members.
The enlisted personnel in PDFORRA are facing a 10pc cut in allowances, which have become a key part of their wages in recent years.
Troops will be hit by reductions in their special payments for manning Border posts and patrols – as well as compensation for security duties.
Irish Independent
