Commissioner 'trampling over rights' of gardaí, says GRA

Updated / Friday, 30 Oct 2026 09:27

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The president of the Garda Representative Association has called on the Garda Commissioner to "desist from trampling over the rights" of gardaí regarding overtime and days off.

It comes as rank-and-file gardaí announced a plan yesterday to engage in five days of work-to-rule action next month, coinciding with a major EU Presidency meeting of leaders in Dublin on 13 November.

The work-to-rule, which is being staged over dissatisfaction with garda working conditions, will commence on Tuesday 10 November and run until Saturday 14 November.

This includes the European Political Convention on 12 November, as well as the informal meeting of the EU heads of state or government on 13 November.

The GRA has accused the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and garda management of breaching the Working Time Agreement and the European Working Time Directive.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, GRA president Niall Hodgins said: "This period now marks a very dark day in the history of industrial relations within An Garda Síochána."

He said two years ago, the Garda Commissioner’s office and leadership time were part signatories to the Working Time Agreement, which he said, is a set of rules so that both sides have fairness.

"What this Garda Commissioner (Justin Kelly) and his predecessor also have decided is that these rules don’t apply to them when it comes to the shift patterns and working conditions that our members are subject to," Mr Hodgins said.

He said: "These rules have been absolutely trampled on not only for the position of the EU Presidency but it now seems the Garda Commissioner has decided to declare days like St Patrick's Day, Halloween [as extraordinary events] where there might be multiple concerts over a particular weekend in summer", adding that members must work these in addition to the EU Presidency.

He said the Commissioner has "driven over" the "entitlements" of gardaí under the WTA rules.

The work-to-rule motion says all members stationed in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) should report for duty at their home station at the beginning of their tours of duty and wait to be transported to their points of duty.

It also states that all members within 100km of their points of duty in the DMR and Shannon regions should report to their home station and wait to be transported to their points of duty.

The GRA president said it is not simply an issue about enforced overtime "this is an issue about multiple breaches of our members' entitlements, that would be surrounding starting times, it would be around compensatory rest, [and] days off being cancelled".

He said in one case, some members, who are both gardaí with children, have both had their days off cancelled.

The GRA president said the Commissioner must desist from his behaviour "with regards to trampling over the rights of our members".

Mr Hodgins said the public will not see much of a change during the work-to-rule and that gardaí will still turn up to work and will be acting within their rights under the WTA.

In a statement yesterday, Commissioner Kelly said overtime would be reduced shortly in response to "complaints by the GRA".

The garda commissioner said the reduction in the amount of overtime available will happen "once we complete some forthcoming major events".