Gardai move a step closer to access to state IR institutions

Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Pat Breen TD, Minister with responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection recently, following Cabinet approval, announced the publication of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018.

In her statement, Minister Humphreys said that the Bill, when enacted, will deliver on a commitment given by Government in 2016 to provide the Garda representative associations with access to the State industrial relations institutions – the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court.

Gardaí will only be given access to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court on condition that strong internal mechanisms for resolving disputes are first put in place within An Garda Síochána, the Cabinet has been told.

Ms Humphreys warned the Government recently that without such provisions the State’s industrial relations machinery could be swamped by complaints regarding Gardaí. In a confidential memorandum Ms Humphreys told the Cabinet that even under her proposals, the number of cases dealt with by the WRC and the Labour Court could, on a conservative estimate, increase by 10 per cent or by 1,500 additional claims when Gardaí were permitted to avail of their services.