Speaking following a meeting with the National Executive to discuss the proposed An Garda Síochána Sectoral Agreement 2013 – 2015, General Secretary John Redmond says, “The outcome of direct negotiations can be described as both positive and historic. It was always our position, since early discussions on Croke Park II that we should have the opportunity to negotiate directly on behalf of our members. And this did happen earlier this week for the first time in our 35-year history.

“We are satisfied that this approach will help to  see a positive response from the AGSI membership. The National Executive met today and we will be  balloting the membership in the next couple of weeks on the Sectoral Agreement.”

AGSI say the core commitments they had always looked for from Garda Management and Government have now been accepted, mainly:

1. That the talks would not be carried out in any parallel fashion, and that they would be direct negotiations on behalf of AGSI;

2. That the Association would not under any circumstances negotiate a reduction in Pay;

3. That the Association would not under any circumstances negotiate a reduction in allowances.

The AGSI negotiating team is made up of John Redmond, General Secretary; John Jacob, Deputy General Secretary; Tim Galvin President; Antoinette Cunningham, Vice President and Mary Finnegan, Honorary Secretary.

AGSI also welcomed the review of An Garda Síochána as laid out in the Agreement and said it looked forward to continuing to  “play a pivotal role” in effecting positive change in policing in Ireland.

John Redmond concluded, “We would like to acknowledge the time given to us by Kieran Mulvey and Anna Perry from the LRC and for taking on board the concerns and counter proposals offered by AGSI. 

“We have always maintained that we have played our part and will continue to play our part in helping reshape this country and improving service delivery for the people.     

The post Historic Moment for ASGI as Direct Negotiations Pay Off appeared first on AGSI.

Speaking ahead of a Special Executive meeting of the National Executive today, General Secretary John Redmond said, “This is a historic moment for us as we finally have had the recognition that we have always deserved – a direct hearing from the LRC. We have continually advocated this point at the original talks in Landsdowne House in January and since then vis-a-vis the media and in many contacts with Garda Management and the Government.” 

Today the National Executive of AGSI will review in detail the Document offered by the LRC before going to its membership to consider whether or not to accept it.

Read the full article by Fionnan Sheehan and Tom Brady in today’s Irish Independent here. Irish Independent Clipping14May2013

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Unmasking the nation’s heroes!

 Do you know someone who deserves a People of the Year Award? There are heroes all around us, but unless you nominate them for an award now, we may never know. This year’s 39th annual People of the Year Awards event, organised by Rehab and broadcast live on RTÉ One television, takes place on Saturday September 14 at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin.

You can nominate now at www.peopleoftheyear.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/rehab25

The closing date for nominations is June 14, 2013.

So let’s start unmasking those heroes!

Download the official form here: POYA Nomination Form 2013

The post Unmasking Ireland’s Heroes – Do You Know One? appeared first on AGSI.

General Secretary John Redmond who compiled the research says, “We are required to work 24/7/365 in the main to carry out our myriad of functions. We joined An Garda Síochána knowing that this would be required of us, and we knew that we would be working at times when most others would be enjoying their family lives, and working ‘normal’, healthy hours – working during the day, and sleeping at night – in line with the body’s natural rhythm.

“Members of An Garda Síochána are paid ‘unsocial hours allowances’ to make up for their having to work during the night, on Saturdays, on Sundays, on Bank Holidays and on major holidays such as Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. These allowances should be renamed ‘penalty allowances’ just like they are known in Australia because they compensate for the penalty of working such unsocial hours.”

Evidence-Based Medical Impact of Unsocial Hours

The medical impact of working such patterns are widely recognised, and people who work these hours increasingly suffer medical ailments when compared to ‘regular workers’. Studies such as Cavallo et al (2002) found that difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently during the day’s sleep, feeling depressed or moody, never adjusting and feeling more tired were problems when on nights, as well as feeling that thinking and performance was slower, were due to unsocial hours working. Furlan et al (2000) suggested that an excessive rate of disease in shift workers could be due to the continuous changes of the time of maximum cardiac sympathetic modulation over the years. Van Amelsvoort et al (2004) found that shift workers had a slightly higher age and a substantially less favourable cardiovascular risk profile, and that significantly more shift workers were smokers. Shift workers also showed a higher sickness record than daytime workers.

View the short video below:

The post Research Shows Negative Impact of Working 24/7/365 appeared first on AGSI.

In this edition:

National Fraternal Order of Police Hosts Law Enforcement Labor Summit
Chuck Canterbury, President of the National Fraternal Order of Police

Harvard Trade Union Program
By Vince Kelly President of the Police Federation of Australia (PFA) and The Northern Territory Police Association

South African Policing Union (SAPU) Shocked By Cop Shooting Dead Traffic Cop
SAPU Press Release 13 February 2013

A Summer of Challenges for Northern Ireland’s Police
By Terry Spence Chairman of Police Federation for Northern Ireland

Austerity Undermining European Union Security
By Anna Nellberg President of European Confederation of Police (EUROCOP)

Download the ezine here. ICPRA ENews April 2013

The post International Council of Police Representative Associations – Ezine appeared first on AGSI.

The AGSI campaign is now being stepped up in an attempt to secure our own negotiating rights on any proposed changes to pay and conditions.

This campaign involves:

• Lobbying Government TDs
• Requesting a Meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minster for Public Finances Brendan Howlin
• Continuing our involvement in the 24/7 Frontline Alliance
• Working with our colleagues in the GRA

It is imperative that we highlight the following which must be taken on board by Government:

1. AGSI should be able to negotiate our own pay and conditions;

2. AGSI are unique as Public Servants;

3. Further cuts will significantly impact us given the harshness of working on a  24/7/365 basis.

The post LRC Proposals – A Critical Stage appeared first on AGSI.

The Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors is asking members to support the Annual Garda Memorial Day which takes place this year on Saturday 18th May in Dublin Castle at 12noon.

The event remembers deceased members of An Garda Síochána killed in the line of duty.

AGSI would like to see as many members of the Association represented as possible to pay tribute to those colleagues who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect society.

We remember our valiant colleagues today and everyday.

The post Annual Garda Memorial Day – 18th May, Dublin Castle appeared first on AGSI.

No Need to Legislate

AGSI Say Cost Savings Can Be Achieved Internally, Not from Pay 

General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, John Redmond was speaking as it emerged this evening that Public Sector Unions had clearly rejected the LRC Proposals.

While AGSI were removed from negotiations by ICTU and Government John Redmond says,“Ireland’s public sector has now spoken. We appeal to Government not to legislate. We ask them to speak directly to us, so we can offer proposals to help meet the deficit within the Garda Síochána budget.

“From the outset we believed the proposals were unnecessarily harsh in bringing our country forward. We can, and are willing to, work with Government if they give us a listening ear to present our proposals. We hope today’s vote brings Government and the public sector closer for the betterment of this country.”

The results of the Ballot on Croke Park II. Table courtesy of TheJournal.ie

The post “No Need to Legislate” – AGSI Statement on No to Croke Park II appeared first on AGSI.

John Redmond, General Secretary of AGSI pictured with Members of the AGSI National Executive outside Dublin Castle this morning. He is pictured with Walter Kilcullen, Larry Brady and Mick Hiney. Photos by Alan Dowley.

Members of AGSI and the GRA greeted EU Finance Ministers with placards outside Dublin Castle this morning.

In a continuation of their protest against the LRC Proposals members of the AGSI National Executive and the GRA Central Executive Committee protested as EU Ministers for Finance arrived to discuss a further extension of the terms of the EU/IMF deal for Ireland and the cost of the Cyprus bailout.

Speaking today General Secretary John Redmond said, “Our protests against Croke Park II will continue and our attendance at the ECOFIN meeting this morning is just an extension of our ongoing strategy.”

The post AGSI National Executive Protest Outside EU Finance Ministers Meeting appeared first on AGSI.

The draw was held at AGSI HQ this week (Tuesday) and the winning ticket was drawn by Bernadette Ryan (pictured below).

The lucky winner is Patrick Carroll of Ashford Garda Station, Co. Wicklow. Patrick wins a €500 One4All Voucher.

General Secretary John Redmond said, “We would like to congratulate Patrick and thank all the AGSI members who entered. We would also like to thank Halligan Insurance for the generous prize.”

The post Winner of €500 One4All Draw Announced appeared first on AGSI.