Garda agreement on operating a new £45 million computer information system will require agreement on additional pay, the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has been told.
The new system, known as PULSE, will provide the force with 17 information systems covering areas including incident response and analysis, firearms, summonses, bail, prisoner logs, court outcomes, traffic accidents, juvenile liaison and arrest warrants.
Garda management, in conjunction with computer consultants, is pushing ahead with the PULSE system so the existing systems do not "crash" because of the year 2000 "millennium bug".
But at the AGSI conference yesterday delegates were told that while officers are prepared to participate in training with the system, full implementation requires a pay agreement.
Late last year it emerged that the official side had warned that agreement on implementing PULSE should be in place by last month, but the deadline has passed.
The AGSI general secretary, Mr George Maybury, told the conference AGSI had retained independent consultants to report on the effects of the new system on AGSI members' working lives.
He added: "At this stage, I want to reiterate for all concerned, the [AGSI] national executive will not support the use of any new systems until an acceptable pay deal is in place. We will continue to co-operate with training, but that is as far as it goes."
Mr Maybury said AGSI would not accept any pay deal that did not address differentials in pay levels between supervisory and garda ranks. Department of Justice figures last year showed many officers of garda rank were receiving higher salaries than officers up to superintendent rank because of greater overtime and allowance payments.
He said: "I am not in a position to state when these talks are likely to conclude and what percentage increase is likely to be involved.
"What I can say is this: we will not support or recommend any deal which does not recognise the additional responsibilities falling on sergeants and inspectors."
Mr Maybury also said the improvement in the economy and the increase in property prices was seriously affecting Garda recruitment. Accommodation allowances to recruits were totally inadequate, particularly in Dublin.
He said the number of Garda applicants had fallen dramatically in recent years.