GRA to ballot members

super_furry

+ if put on clerical duty(9-5) an allowance to compensate you for the allowances your missing by not working unsocial hours


That's the maddest of them all - you're working regular hours and not getting allowences, so have an allowence. How can anyone defend that?

Vyse

dclane wrote: »

Come on get real. You guys are the highest paid with the most holidays of any other public servants. Are you telling me you have never flashed your Garda badge on the train or bus? Flashed it getting on the Luas? Flashed it going into bars, clubs, restaurants? Worked overtime at events such as rugby matches, soccer internationals?

If you haven't, you must be the Elliot Ness of the gardai!

Of course this happens. One of my friends is a guard. We have got into night clubs for free. I remember one time, while with him, I got onto the NiteLink and paid my fare. I was with him at the time and he flashed his badge. He got on for free and the bus driver took the fare off the next passenger and used it to re-imburse me:eek: I'm not even a guard (and could never be mistook for one).

And again of course all of these stories are anecdotal. They're hardly in the rule book.

Drumpot

Think the garda have made a big mistake on this one . . They are one of the best rumerated public servants out there ! !

Just highlighting (what alot of us knew) over 57 differant kind of allowances available to guards on Pat kenny there. . .

Apart from somebody starting in the guards, I have never met a guard thats struggling , even less with less then 2 houses . . .

Their very generous pension is also being highlighted . . .Finally some sense being discussed in the media . . .

I suppose some people still ask the question "What recession" ? ? ? ?

Riskymove

Vyse wrote: »

And again of course all of these stories are anecdotal. They're hardly in the rule book.

Guards do travel for free

bringingitall

worked as a bouncer for many a year and the amount of drunk Garda that came up to me flashin the badge and saying "what can you do for me?"

this was not an isolated incident at least 3-5 times on a saturday night

they should be delighted that they haven't gone after their allowances

there's a reason they call their allowance cheque the "big cheque"

gent9662

A member of the force once told me he got free haircuts due to the fact he flashed the badge probably got a free lollipop too.

Rookster

dclane wrote: »

A member of the force once told me he got free haircuts due to the fact he flashed the badge probably got a free lollipop too

.

Who loves ya, baby?

irish_bob

jake59 wrote: »

The local hire centre may have done this as your uncle may have been a friend of his and may have done it regardless of your uncle's job. Friends do help friends ye know.

yeah , whatever :rolleyes:

podge3

I don't usually correct the drivel that some people spout on here but this is just ridiculous :rolleyes:

dclane wrote: »

Highest paid public sector body in Ireland, Europe and World - FACT! lies, damn lies and statistics
Huge amount of off duty time next to teachers - FACT! All gardai work 40 hours per week, not 25 like the teachers
Allowances coming out your nose - FACT! More like snots TBH
Travel allowances for getting to work - FACT! where did you get this one????
Massive Overtime allowances - FACT! All extra work over 40 hours is paid at the appropriate rate. I suppose they should do it for free :rolleyes:
100% job security - FACT! can't argue there
Garda drinking club - FACT! What has that got to do with anything?
Garda sports and social club - FACT! What has that got to do with anything?
Paid training straight after leaving cert - FACT! What has that got to do with anything?


Here's some more sh!te:

BASIC
+ shift allowance Most jobs - public and private - get an allowance for working unsocial hours
+ rent allowance tax free(€4,160) not tax free
+ uniform allowance couple of € per week AFAIK
+ boot allowance couple of € per week AFAIK
+ away from station for the day allowance(airport passport guys + other moving prisoners from x to y) Known as subsistence allowance and payable to all Civil and Public service
+ overtime(easily availible, perhaps reduced now) How many hours over the standard 40 should Gardai work for free every week?
+ handy days standing around croke park (€200euro from what i'm told) Duty of a non-public nature is paid for by the event organiser i.e. the GAA, FAI etc etc
+ scheduling a ten minute court appearance on your day off knowing that you'll get paid for the minimum 5hours you get under union agreements that state you must be paid this minimum time regardless of your actual time worked(been told first hand about this) Thats a good one :pac::pac::pac:
+Garda credit union(cheap loans how many apartments have you rented from Garda i've been in 3 apartments all owned by garda in the last 5 years, 3 friends have garda landlords) How dare they have a credit union :rolleyes:
+health insurance for you and married partner How dare they have expensive health insurance :rolleyes:

+ if put on clerical duty(9-5) an allowance to compensate you for the allowances your missing by not working unsocial hours correct
+ while on holiday pay an allowance to cover the overtime/allowance you could have potentiallly got if you weren't on the beach basically unsocial hours work allowance even though your not in correct
+ plain clothes allowance, if your plain clothes garda to buy your own clothes a couple of € per week
+Gaeltacht Allowance and Aran Island Allowance correct
+ retire @ 50 with full pension(lump sum+payments) correct

I suggest that you get your FACTS correct before you embarrass yourself any further

BTW, I don't agree with the Gardai striking. Its wrong for many reasons.

gent9662

podge3 wrote: »

I don't usually correct the drivel that some people spout on here but this is just ridiculous :rolleyes:



I suggest that you get your FACTS correct before you embarrass yourself any further

BTW, I don't agree with the Gardai striking. Its wrong for many reasons.

Embarrass myself further? That's a good one, if anyone should be embarrassed it should be you for confirming the vast majority of my points made above.

Can you or will you confirm that you also get the "off the record" perks such as:

free breakfast, lunches, dinner in some restaurants when you flash the garda badge?

free travel on the train when you flash the badge?

free into some clubs when you flash the famous badge?

Luas, nightlink?

as for the point you deny, the Gardai ARE one of the highest paid police forces in Europe and the WORLD! FACT

You get an allowance, food and plenty of drink whe you are training. The rest of us, including the vast majority of the public service workers have to go to college and earn a qualification and pay our OWN way through college. I guess that teaches respect and an appreciation for what is earned in life.


The Garda college teaches you how to make sure you get allowances (the big cheque), how to be ignorant, take as much as you can from society and how to about as educated as a donkey!

jake59

irish_bob wrote: »

yeah , whatever :rolleyes:

I'd love for any of you garda bashers to get some sort of insight into the job. I think your eyes would be opened up. If you had a read of the Garda Code you would realise how much a garda's rights are restricted compared to any other citizen of this state. The fact that there is an issue about industrial action is just the tip of the iceberg and shows that the job cannot be compared to any other, either public or private sector. It's a good feeling i'm sure to walk away from the office at 5pm and have your weekends off and not be bothered when you're out and about because you're known to be a salesperson for a high flying paperclip company but unfortunately guards take an oath and take their responsibilities with them whether they are on or off duty.
Highlighting allowances is great but its not as if every guard gets each one of these 57 allowances. They are obviously specific to different specialised areas of the job. These allowances have always been public knowledge too.
Nobody is arguing the fact that cuts have to be made, and nobody is arguing that there may be guards who might take advantage of their position (Sshh!! have ye ever heard of the Garda Ombudsman?? ring them if ye have a problem) but the point is that the job of a guard can be compared to no other job in this country. Try and find a comparison.

gandalf

You know Jake you're right maybe we should compare the costs with the Garda's EU Police colleagues?

gent9662

jake59 wrote: »

Try and find a comparison.

TDs and Senators

jake59

dclane wrote: »

Embarrass myself further?

The Garda college teaches you how to make sure you get allowances (the big cheque), how to be ignorant, take as much as you can from society and how to about as educated as a donkey!

Seeing as everyone seems to know so much here ask yourself how many people who have gone through the Garda College have already done 4 years in college and earned a degree (I'll put my hand up for that one) and who before joining the guards worked in the private sector in a professional capacity (er i'll have to put my hand up for that one too).
You're comments seem tainted by some bitterness towards the guards or maybe its just a case that you are fighting for the education rights of donkeys. Either way its yourself who is coming across as fairly ignorant on this subject.

jake59

dclane wrote: »

TDs and Senators

Explain further including salary comparisons.

gent9662

jake59 wrote: »

It's a good feeling i'm sure to walk away from the office at 5pm and have your weekends off and not be bothered when you're out and about because you're known to be a salesperson for a high flying paperclip company but unfortunately guards take an oath and take their responsibilities with them whether they are on or off duty.

God forbid anybody in the private or public sector ever worked/works weekend without allowances or gingernut biscuits!

My wife is a nurse and to think she walks out of the hospital at 5 everyday is great! Guards are the only people to work weekends, wow!

jake59

gandalf wrote: »

You know Jake you're right maybe we should compare the costs with the Garda's EU Police colleagues?

maybe so. and we should also have all wages in all sectors and the cost of living in line too but thats part of a bigger picture. as I said nobody is arguing that cuts need to be made. My point is that there is no comparison to any other job within this state.

gent9662

jake59 wrote: »

maybe so. and we should also have all wages in all sectors and the cost of living in line too but thats part of a bigger picture. as I said nobody is arguing that cuts need to be made. My point is that there is no comparison to any other job within this state.

Prison officers get similar pay, PSNI is the closest comparison, they get paid less than the Gardai???

jake59

dclane wrote: »

Prison officers get similar pay, PSNI is the closest comparison, they get paid less than the Gardai???

prison officers dont do the same job as a garda. PSNI are outside the state.

gent9662

jake59 wrote: »

prison officers dont do the same job as a garda. PSNI are outside the state.

So you don't agree with benchmarking then? What, do you think the Gaurds should have been compared with other police forces in europe, who, I might add, get paid a lot less than the Gardai?

Most Gardai I know are loaded, two houses, two cars, 3 holidays a year. Those that are retired have multiple properties.

I guess your right comparisons cannot be made at all.

jake59

dclane wrote: »

God forbid anybody in the private or public sector ever worked/works weekend without allowances or gingernut biscuits!

My wife is a nurse and to think she walks out of the hospital at 5 everyday is great! Guards are the only people to work weekends, wow!

Its not about working weekends. Its about the job you take everywhere with you. You're wife does a great job I'm sure but a nurse would not be able to do the job of a paramedic who does not work in a clean controlled environment. Ask any nurse who has travelled as an observer on an ambulance as part of their PTLS course. Nurses do a great job in a hospital.

jake59

dclane wrote: »

Most Gardai I know are loaded, two houses, two cars, 3 holidays a year. Those that are retired have multiple properties.

I guess your right comparisons cannot be made at all.

Personally speaking its been 2 years since I have had a holiday. Your quote is generalizing and without any factual substance.

gandalf

jake59 wrote: »

Its not about working weekends. Its about the job you take everywhere with you. You're wife does a great job I'm sure but a nurse would not be able to do the job of a paramedic who does not work in a clean controlled environment. Ask any nurse who has travelled as an observer on an ambulance as part of their PTLS course. Nurses do a great job in a hospital.

Yes but if you apply to be a Garda or a Paramedic you accept that this is part of the job? I am confused here what do you want, you have agreed that cuts have to be made so what do you want a pat on the back for the Gardai. I do that unreservedly but they still will have to take the bitter medicine a lot of us have already tasted.

ceret

dan_d wrote: »

Imagine someone coming out of a room and saying "that's what you're getting".
Except.....that's exactly what happened to us last month.Director enters room "people we need you take a 5% paycut from Jan. There'll be a letter in the post".
And that was it.
You got benchmarking to keep you in line with the private sector. Now you get the paycuts to keep you in line with the private sector. It's how it's done everywhere else, regardless of what you do all day.

Yep ditto. We got a meeting saying that they had to look at pay, otherwise the company might not exist in a year. Few weeks later we got an email round saying "Immediate 10% pay cut and the 5% pension is being abolished".

Public sector workers wouldn't survive in the real world.

gent9662

jake59 wrote: »

Its not about working weekends. Its about the job you take everywhere with you. You're wife does a great job I'm sure but a nurse would not be able to do the job of a paramedic who does not work in a clean controlled environment. Ask any nurse who has travelled as an observer on an ambulance as part of their PTLS course. Nurses do a great job in a hospital.

That's exactly what my wife does. She went to nursing college in the north, worked a part time job to cover living expenses whilst training diploma, subsequently went on to do a paramedical studies at her own expense, get's paid very little extra for working night shift, put's herself in danger and get's paid a hell of a lot less than the garda doing the same hours.

I'm not saying the gardai are useless and not worthy of renumeration, but given the fact that you guys are one of the highest paid police forces in the world and given the fact inflation has come down and the economy is in the sh1t I think it has to be an across the board cut, my wife is willing to take it, so why shouldnt the Gardai?

Ayankabroad

d00gle wrote: »

The issue is not the strike action, I'm a Garda and will not strike because it would go against what I believe in and thats upholding the law.... for us what the issue is that we cannot deal directly with government on any sort of pay issues.... good or bad. Everybody else deals directly and therefore has direct input whatever the outcome. However for Gardai its literally someone from government comming out of a room and goin "thats whats your getting..... or not as the case may be". Is this anyway to treat a Police Force of a nation whatever your feeling towards them??? Let me be clear... no Police Force should strike.... but should be given a voice to deal directly with government just like all unions and employer groups alike.

Very well put you are in a difficult situation when you are not considered a part of the process. Although the way that the GRA are approaching the situation is wrong and can potentially lead to mistrust of the organisation as a whole.

jake59

dclane wrote: »

my wife is willing to take it, so why shouldnt the Gardai?

If you look back through my posts you will see that I have said that cuts have to be made. I'm willing to take them as they come. Nobody is looking for a pat on the back here. What I am saying here is that there is a huge distinction between the job (garda) and any other in the state. The fact that guards can't strike and are restricted in so many other parts of there personal life (Ref. Garda Code) sets them apart, whether good or bad. Most of my posts here have been asking for a comparison within the state or else rebutting ignorant comments about the job.

Fair play to your wife for all her hard work in getting where she wants to be.

FGR

Thank goodness that Gardaí do 30 years and not 20 like in the USA. Then there'd be outright war. :rolleyes:

I'm with most posters here citing that they'd rather this not happen because it's against the word of law - however it's been clear that the state will take advantage of the lack of direct representation between the Gardaí and the Government and subsequently slash all around. Dermot Ahern and the like need to at least consider sitting down and discussing the matter rather than having a 'face off'.

After all it'll be anarchy if there's another Blue Flu.

podge3

dclane wrote: »

That's a good one, if anyone should be embarrassed it should be you for confirming the vast majority of my points made above.

Approx 16 out of your 24 facts are complete rubbish. When I was going to school that was not considered a vast majority. Gave me a good laugh though - best one was you rant about the Garda Health insurance .

dclane wrote: »

Most Gardai I know are loaded, two houses, two cars, 3 holidays a year. Those that are retired have multiple properties.

I don't understand your gripe with this old chestnut - even if it is anecdotal.

Are Gardai (or anyone else for that matter) not entitled to invest their money wisely? AFAIK the long list of prohibited activities for Gardai does not include dual car or house ownership.

ceret

jake59 wrote: »

I'd love for any of you garda bashers to get some sort of insight into the job. I think your eyes would be opened up. If you had a read of the Garda Code

I'm willing to read the Garda Code. Where can I get a copy?