GARDA management last night appeared confident there would be sufficient personnel available to provide a proper police service today despite the snap decision by the Garda Representative Association to call a 24-hour work stoppage.
Government and senior gardai were furious about the decision to call what amounts to a strike, giving less than two-days notice.
There was still no sign of agreement between the two sides with the Government adamant in its refusal of the GRA demand for a 15 per cent stand-alone pay increase and the establishment of a police pay negotiating board.
Giving in to gardai would "wreck the economy", said the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy. It remained the Government's chief concern to get Garda representatives back to the negotiating table, said a spokesman.
"But unless they come back to us, it won't happen," he added. There remained wide scope for talks on productivity.
He also criticised the "futility" of the action, and noted yesterday's Central Statistics Report which showed gardai to be "the second-highest paid public servants in the country".
i to be included in future public pay sector negotiations alongside the unions. The sudden GRA strike call action
The GRA action apparently breached an undertaking it had given in a press release it issued on Wednesday which stated it would give 48 hours notice of such moves.
Deputy Commissioner Noel Conroy called the two leading GRA figures, the deputy general secretary, Mr P.J. Stone, and president, Mr John Healy, to Garda Headquarters at lunch time to express his annoyance at the apparent breach of the warning period.
Last night, the Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, cut short a visit to gardai serving with the United Nations in Cyprus.
Many tasks will fall today to senior officers and 800 trainee and 450 student gardai who will be on duty in high profile locations because the force's 2,000 middle-rank sergeants and inspectors have said they will not work extra duties to cover for the missing rank-and-file gardai.
The senior officer in charge of the Dublin Metropolitan Area, Assistant Commissioner Jim McHugh, wished to reassure the public that a "quality police service would be in place in the city throughout today".
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, appeared on RTE television to reiterate that the "door was still open" for the GRA to return to negotiations but not on the grounds that the Government should give it a 15 per cent "stand alone" pay increase.
Any payment of this order would open up public pay sector negotiations and damage the entire economy, causing mortgage and income tax increases, he said, echoing Mr McCreevy.
The Irish Times understands the decision for a mass calling in sick today (which means gardai will still be paid) was taken by Mr Healy at around 2 a.m. yesterday. Over the following two hours, news of his decision was telephoned to members of the GRA's 26-strong central executive committee around the country.
Last night, Mr Stone said the leadership had come under "tremendous pressure" from the membership on Thursday night to call a strike. GRA sources expect such actions to take place on at least a weekly basis leading to a double-day action on July 11th and 13th during the Tour de France visit to Ireland.
The news of today's action filtered out to members of the force around mid-morning yesterday, apparently catching many by surprise. The GRA had discussed action timed for today or Monday at its recent central executive meetings but no decision had been taken by the time the meeting had broken up at tea time on Thursday.
It is widely expected there will be strong support for the strike among the 8,000 members of garda rank. But officers in some essential jobs are expected to report for duty.
As happened during the last one-day action on May 1st there will only be marginally fewer officers available than would be the case normally, because of leave and rest time. It is estimated that about 28 per cent of the force will be available as opposed to an average figure of around 33 per cent.