A BALLOT to re establish a united Garda representative organisation will be held next month, following a meeting yesterday between the various groups involved.
Representatives of the Garda Representative Association, the Garda Federation and the four non aligned divisions met the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Peter Cassells, to agree arrangements for the ballot, which aims to end three years of division within the Garda representative structure.
The dispute, which originally split the GRA, was principally over a pay deal but also involved a clash of personalities within the organisation and arguments over internal procedures. Matters came to a head in 1994, when a GRA conference broke up because of disagreements within the organisation.
About 2,500 gardai, most of them based in Dublin, broke away from the GRA to form the Garda Federation. A further 1,000 gardai in four other divisions also broke from the GRA, leaving it with a core membership of 5,000. Progress towards an agreement between the parties was made when Mr John Ferry resigned as general secretary of the GRA in January.
The proposals being recommended to members include a major review of rules and regulations applying to the association the option to appoint civilians or members of the Garda as general secretary and deputy general secretary the supervision of association finances by five trustees and the election of a president, vice president and treasurer at the association's annual conference.
The ballot, which will be supervised by the ICTU, will take place on April 14th and the result will be announced on April 25th.