RIVAL groups representing gardai look set to form a single organisation, three years after the split which divided the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
Yesterday, the groups announced that after three days of talks, they had "reached agreement on proposals to reestablish a united organisation, to represent members of the Garda Siochana of Garda rank".
All gardai are to be asked to vote on the proposals, which would include a detailed set of procedures under which the new united organisation would operate.
The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, who had threatened to reestablish a single organisation by law if the various groups could not reach agreement, said yesterday she was "delighted" the talks had been successfully concluded.
The Bill which would give the Minister power to reconstitute to GRA is - currently before the Oireachtas and scheduled to become law by Easter.
Sections of it may be changed to take account of the agreement.
The row within the GRA was principally over a pay deal for gardai but also involved a clash of personalities and arguments over internal procedures. It reached its height in 1994 when a GRA conference broke up in disarray because of the arguments between the factions.
One group set up the Garda Federation, which came to represent about 2,200 mainly Dublin-based gardai.
A further 1,000 gardai in rural divisions withdrew from GRA activities, leaving the original body with about 5,000 loyal members.
After several failed attempts at negotiations, the three groups met again this week against the background of the impending legislation and informal agreement among them that unity was vital if a new pay claim for gardai, lodged with the Government, was to succeed.
The resignation of Mr John Ferry as GRA general secretary last month also smoothed the path cowards agreement.
The talks were facilitated by general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Peter Cassells, and the assistant general secretary, Mr Kevin Duffy.
Welcoming the agreement announced yesterday Mrs Owen said the existence of the rival groups "certainly wasn't good for the image of the force" and she thought the public had "little patience" with the dispute.
She said the new legislation had two purposes - to resolve the dispute and set rules for any new organisation.
"It wasn't so much tough tactics as the need to make the two organisations work together," she added.
"I'm very very pleased. I wish they could have done it two years ago.