"Blue Flu"

cbwex

THE CORK CITY division of Gardaí have voted unanimously in favour of a ‘blue flu’ as the course of action to be taken if an agreement on their working terms cannot be reached.

Last night one hundred percent of the Cork City Garda division who attended the meeting voted to pass a motion calling for industrial action over the proposed cuts to their pay and allowances.
In a second motion put to the Cork gardaí last night, they voted – again unanimously – for a ‘blue flu’.

kub

cbwex wrote: »

THE CORK CITY division of Gardaí have voted unanimously in favour of a ‘blue flu’ as the course of action to be taken if an agreement on their working terms cannot be reached.

Last night one hundred percent of the Cork City Garda division who attended the meeting voted to pass a motion calling for industrial action over the proposed cuts to their pay and allowances.
In a second motion put to the Cork gardaí last night, they voted – again unanimously – for a ‘blue flu’.

I read in The Examiner that it was the Cork West, Cork City and Cork East Divisions.

I am gald they are standing up at last. 100% is a big number

ratracer

I hope this is just a start. Fair play to the 'rebel' county for living up to their name. I think that this time around all of the Emergency Services need to have a co-ordinated response to these draconian cuts planned by the government. SIPTU seem to have already thrown in the towel, saying the govt will implement cuts regardless of discussions. IFESA / NASRA are throwing out soundbites of little substance. Only the GRA / AGSI seem to be making clear noises against the cuts this time round.

greenoverred

ratracer wrote: »

I hope this is just a start. Fair play to the 'rebel' county for living up to their name. I think that this time around all of the Emergency Services need to have a co-ordinated response to these draconian cuts planned by the government. SIPTU seem to have already thrown in the towel, saying the govt will implement cuts regardless of discussions. IFESA / NASRA are throwing out soundbites of little substance. Only the GRA / AGSI seem to be making clear noises against the cuts this time round.

SIPTU have thrown in the towel because most of these cuts proposed do not effect their members. The cuts to shift payments effect frontline staff the most, the lower paid frontline staff at that. The frontline alliance need to really come up with a strategy to fight these cut. They should be resisted by whatever means necessary.

The main problem with the cuts proposed is the inequality of them. What was put to the GRA is that the members working shift will bare the brunt of all savings. €60,000,000 between roughly 10,000 members is €6000 each. And yet anyone on over €70,000 will not take any cut. Remember the government have said they want to cut 1 billion from about 290000 public servants which is about 3400 each but for some reason they have decided that the gardai who get paid the least on their wage scale should take a €6000 cut.

Management side have also proposed incentivised careers breaks which will leave those left behind working harder, but for some reason this will not be counted in the 60 mill savings despite a saving of 4 mill for every 100 who take this option. They have also proposed working an extra hour per day, ie 21 days extra days per year. But yet again this does not count towards the 60mill savings.

Obviously the highly paid civil servants who came up with these plans do not want wages of superintendents or higher cut. Their own wages are on the same scale so a cut to one would mean a cut across the board. The last thing they want is a cut across the board if they can get away with this nonsense.

MagicSean

Too early for blue flu threats. There are other forms of industrial action.

Moneen 1

MagicSean wrote: »

Too early for blue flu threats. There are other forms of industrial action.

May be a bit soon for the threat of the blue flu but its no harm to let Shatter and Callinan know that if it comes to it the Gardai are not afraid to use it. Commissioner Martin Callinan is probably one of the worst commissioners the Garda Siochana has ever had. He has presided over the distruction of a police force that took years to establish. He has supported Shatter with this smart policing rubbish. He has allowed rural Ireland to be left without any police protection. He has reduced the Garda Siochana to that of a firebrigade service. It appears that he has forgotten that the job of Commissioner of An Garda Siochana is to manage, lead and protect the Garda Siochana so that future generations will have a properly resoursed professional police force. Mr Callinan should read The Civic Guard Mutiny. The Commission of Enquiry set up to investigate this mutiny heard from one Guard, and I quote, ' To Keep the peace , and to enforce law and order in this Nation, it will be obligatory on us to be bone of the bone of the people and flesh of their flesh, and mind of their mind. Otherwise, we shall be foreign to the people, we shall not be able to touch their hearts; we shall be, suspected by them, in time we shall be distrusted, and eventually we shall be ostracised and hated'. Is this any less true in 2013. Where is smart policing in the above.

Bang Bang

greenoverred wrote: »

SIPTU have thrown in the towel because most of these cuts proposed do not effect their members.

SIPTU have a large number of members in the National Ambulance Service so the proposed cuts do effect their members.
But remember which union supports the Labour Party financially, SIPTU do. A percentage of a members fee paid into SIPTU every pay day goes to the Labour Party, so perhaps SIPTU are just doing what they are being told to do by the Labour party.
These are not good times when cuts are being implemented by a joint party of bullies in the shape of Fine Gael and Labour, and with Labour having a big say in the day to day running of SIPTU, we're on the back foot from a SIPTU perspective.

pa990

Bang Bang wrote: »

SIPTU have a large number of members in the National Ambulance Service so the proposed cuts do effect their members.
But remember which union supports the Labour Party financially, SIPTU do. A percentage of a members fee paid into SIPTU every pay day goes to the Labour Party, so perhaps SIPTU are just doing what they are being told to do by the Labour party.
These are not good times when cuts are being implemented by a joint party of bullies in the shape of Fine Gael and Labour, and with Labour having a big say in the day to day running of SIPTU, we're on the back foot from a SIPTU perspective.

The cuts are Garda specific
They want to decimate the Garda pay /allowances/ service

Bang Bang

pa990 wrote: »

The cuts are Garda specific
They want to decimate the Garda pay /allowances/ service

I understand the thread is entitled Blue Flu and relates to AGS but there was a couple of comments bringing in other areas of the emergency services. Decimation of service, pay and allowances is also on the agenda for the Ambulance Service, Fire Service, Defence Forces and Nursing. The proposed cuts are not Garda specific.

Bosh

pa990 wrote: »

The cuts are Garda specific
They want to decimate the Garda pay /allowances/ service

At the end of the day they will get what they want.

Can't strike so we're an easy & popular target.

Rep bodies are essentially toothless for above reason.

We can bitch & moan about them all we want. but at the end of the day it will our own fault & no-one elses.

Reps bodies can put forward all sorts of actions to be taken, blue flu's, no phones, withdrawing Chiefs, not using equipment if not trained etc., but as we all know where one stands his ground another will roll over.

As long as there are people looking for promotions/transfers/courses they will have the great divisor.

ratracer

pa990 wrote: »

The cuts are Garda specific
They want to decimate the Garda pay /allowances/ service

The initial talks of these cuts are Garda specific, but AFAIK the fire brigade pay and allowances follow on from the Gardai and so will also be cut. Hence the need for a united approach to protests.

pa990

Talks over the past few years dont seem to have yielded much, What needed now is action beyond talking

pah

MagicSean wrote: »

Too early for blue flu threats. There are other forms of industrial action.

It's not too early, it's really not. The government will laugh at us all day long at not using personal mobiles, laptops, refusing to drive on chiefs, grounding cars, marching on the dail etc where has it ever got anybody in this country?

Gardaí are hurting, morale is through the floor, members are sleeping in cars between shifts to save on fuel we are down around 20% on what we should be earning today since things started to go pear shaped 4 years ago. Overtime earning potential is gone. Members have mortgages based on earnings that have been reduced dramatically.
I hear of people who get minus in their cheque each week and have to rely on their allowances to balance this out in the big cheque each month. We have given what we can, we have no more left to give.

AND THEY WANT US BY THE END OF 2015 TO BE GIVING THEM €170 PER WEEK????


24/7 frontline alliance should come together and put the govt on notice, strike blu/flu whatever - its going ahead - paddys weekend, the ball is in your court.

It's becoming more and more apparent to people that as a nation we have been fcuked over by govt for the sake of banks, bondholders and a pat on the back from the EU, A leading german economist came out this week in a programme RTE I think and said we should NEVER have done this, and were listening to a fcuking school teacher, who gets paid over 200k a year to fcuk us all over???

It has reached a tipping point IMO

There's a storm coming.

angrykoala

why exactly cant gardai strike. i know the whole swore an oath to uphold the constitution etc but why (decisevely if anyone knows) can gardai not withdraw labour. what specific law/ rule backs this up?

999/112

http://www.thejournal.ie/fire-fighters-industrial-action-784556-Feb2013/

Is a "Red Flu" on the cards!!

MagicSean

pah wrote: »

It's not too early, it's really not. The government will laugh at us all day long at not using personal mobiles, laptops, refusing to drive on chiefs, grounding cars, marching on the dail etc where has it ever got anybody in this country?

Gardaí are hurting, morale is through the floor, members are sleeping in cars between shifts to save on fuel we are down around 20% on what we should be earning today since things started to go pear shaped 4 years ago. Overtime earning potential is gone. Members have mortgages based on earnings that have been reduced dramatically.
I hear of people who get minus in their cheque each week and have to rely on their allowances to balance this out in the big cheque each month. We have given what we can, we have no more left to give.

AND THEY WANT US BY THE END OF 2015 TO BE GIVING THEM €170 PER WEEK????


24/7 frontline alliance should come together and put the govt on notice, strike blu/flu whatever - its going ahead - paddys weekend, the ball is in your court.

It's becoming more and more apparent to people that as a nation we have been fcuked over by govt for the sake of banks, bondholders and a pat on the back from the EU, A leading german economist came out this week in a programme RTE I think and said we should NEVER have done this, and were listening to a fcuking school teacher, who gets paid over 200k a year to fcuk us all over???

It has reached a tipping point IMO


There's a storm coming.

There is much more that can be done in the way of industrial action. It should be escalated week by week and not started at the most extreme action

Terrontress

Following the public's outrage at the slaying of Adrian Donohoe, public support of AGS is higher than it has been in some time. By going on strike, or whatever tha want to call it, that support will evaporate. Why not use public sentiment and achieve your aims WITH the people instead of against them?

Zambia

About 2 years ago police in Victoria staged industrial action in a staged manner.

I will try and find a link describing its progression

Zambia

Hi

The Police Association in Victoria has a 98% membership.

This is how it started

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/716528/victoria-police-persist-with-work-bans/

Basically started by refusing to submit stats and use email.

Advanced to having Police cars stalking speed camera cars (like your go slow cars) when police were not on task for 15 minutes.

Police also would not do voluntary duties at sporting events forcing the department to roster overtime

The last Phase was the stopping of issuing on the spot infringements. On the Australia forum we had a few queries from Backpackers as to why they were being bailed to court for drunk offences. Which is normally a ticket offence.

A march was also being organised but the government and the association came to a deal.


The officers I spoke to stated a Blue Flu was not considered

MissEmcee

MagicSean wrote: »

There is much more that can be done in the way of industrial action. It should be escalated week by week and not started at the most extreme action

Sound advice. The public are angry and we need them behind us. That ace card should be kept for further down the road.

MagicSean

Has anyone got a link to that subtitled clip from Downfall where hitler finds out about the vote of no confidence and the blu flu? I hear it is amusing.

pah

MagicSean wrote: »

Has anyone got a link to that subtitled clip from Downfall where hitler finds out about the vote of no confidence and the blu flu? I hear it is amusing.

Its been taken down after going up under a few different users

MagicSean

pah wrote: »

Its been taken down after going up under a few different users

Bummer

goldie fish

I think the owner of the actual film has issue with it being done, rather than the GS