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Free food and Coffee for the Gardai in some establishments.

MidlandsM

...and yes, it's the establishments choice to award food and/or drinks to a member of the Gardai but my question is, should a member of the Gardai accept such like?

I was in a very busy Topaz filling station where I always see lots of member of the force having their "break" the other day. There was a long Queue waiting to pay for stuff at the tills, which I was in. I know the girl at one of the tills and I noted a discreet exchange between her and a Garda who just got a coffee and some sort of snack.....she said "you're grand,no charge" ....and he just said "thanks" .......lots of people noted the Freebie, and lots of eye's rolled to heaven....

Personally I think he should insist on paying for it.....it look like a "Stroke" Freebie to me......

what do you think?

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Grayson

Don't know if it's been mentioned specifically, but most Starbucks (the non franchise ones) in Ireland give all first responders free coffee if they're in uniform. It was something brought in at corporate level after 9/11 and they allow worldwide. So all firemen, paramedics and police get free coffee.

I'm fine with it.

girl in the striped socks

Boombastic wrote: »

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

So are you going to answer my question???
If you were in a petrol station now & saw the exact same thing happen would you speak up against it or stay quiet?

What I would do is irrelevant as the Garda should have the ethic to refuse freebies.

Who do you think pays for these extras? Not the Garda and you can be sure Topaz isn't loosing money, so who does that leave?

Whether or not the cost of it falls onto the customer, I highly doubt topaz is going to lower the price of coffee if they no longer hand out freebies.
I also doubt they are scratching their heads at financial reports wondering why the coffee money isn't tallying up.
How do you know it's not a deal brokered when getting the fuel contract?
And really why does it bother you that much? It's coffee ffs.
There is nothing unprofessional in taking a cup of coffee if it's offered for no charge. I'd have a huge problem if the guard had insisted on not paying for it. But he didn't, the cashier told him it was ok, he was obviously willing to pay if she singled him out to tell him there's no cost. He wasn't strolling out the door when she told him it was a freebie.

But keep fighting the good fight there warrior & remember to declare everything to revenue, even if it's a free cup of coffee.

latenia

ScumLord wrote: »

I'm sure the group buying for the state shopped around, a group having that much spending power can afford to get the best deals and every fuel provider in the country would have handed out all kinds of incentives to try and get the deal.

You really think the gardaí look for the best deal when they're buying supplies? You know this is Ireland we're talking about?

http://audgen.gov.ie/documents/vfmreports/vfm-gardatyres.pdf

latenia

yore wrote: »

Because even if there is no actual conflict of interest, it gives the appearance of a potential conflict.

This is it in a nutshell. You only have to look at Copperface Jack's to see how blatant favouritism towards police in terms of their door policy has left the public with some very real questions regarding their liberal opening hours and well known after hours lock-ins.

Boombastic

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

So are you going to answer my question???
If you were in a petrol station now & saw the exact same thing happen would you speak up against it or stay quiet?

What I would do is irrelevant as the Garda should have the ethic to refuse freebies.

Who do you think pays for these extras? Not the Garda and you can be sure Topaz isn't loosing money, so who does that leave?

ScumLord

yore wrote: »

Would you be happy if some public sector body had an exclusive and lucrative contract with some golf course for hosting official functions and then you found out that all it's members coincidentally got to play there for free too?

I don't really see the problem. The golf course is adding value to the deal at minimal cost to themselves but what would be a big cost to client if they tried to buy it. Businesses do this all the time. Free refills of soft drinks at american fast food restaurants would be a prime example. Even a free or discounted pastry with your coffee is another example. throw in something that will cost the company little as an incentive to buy the expensive thing.

yore wrote: »

It's irrelevant the absolute number that they pay. (Plus they wouldn't pay the taxes on it anyway). Of course it's cheaper than you or I can get it for.

The point is could they get the same deal for less expense?
Obviously there is room for maneuver if topaz can afford to give away all those freebies!

Of course there is room for maneuver Topaz are obviously making a big profit on the deal and I'm sure the group buying for the state shopped around, a group having that much spending power can afford to get the best deals and every fuel provider in the country would have handed out all kinds of incentives to try and get the deal. Over all if the deal was to include free coffee for the entire workforce (rather than something for management to keep just the buyers incentivised) I think it's one of the fairer deals out there. Usually the general employees get completely ignored in these deals.

MaxSteele

How infuriating :rolleyes:

humbert

I was surprised to find out gardai still get into the local niteclubs for free but I can see what the niteclub has to gain. Topaz is an odd one.

yore

osheen wrote: »

Likewise my company uses topaz fuel cards and we get free coffee regularly as eell as vouchers for dicounted sambos or tolls

Yes, but your company is making a decision to do that. The same as lots of companies make similar decisions with regard to benefits for their employees. But it's their own money that they are spending and they are accountable for it.

You can't just have a free-for-all because it's public money.

Do you get free coffee all the time? You get discounted sandwiches, not free ones!

osheen

nig1 wrote: »

i think its standard in all topaz to give free coffee to guards, coffee only, i used toget free coffee at one topaz filling up my truck(topaz card). sometimes i would buy a sandswich and on receipt were coffee should have been it said , guard €0.00.

Likewise my company uses topaz fuel cards and we get free coffee regularly as eell as vouchers for dicounted sambos or tolls

mathepac

yore wrote: »

...
A lot of professional industries have ethics regulations against what you described viz-a-viz your freebie night out. Because even if there is no actual conflict of interest, it gives the appearance of a potential conflict.

A couple of places I worked had very strict rules that if infringed, could lead to dismissal.

The "bottle of whiskey at Christmas" type gift from a supplier had to be turned in to the HR department and was used as a spot prize at the staff Christmas do. A log of donors and gifts was maintained by HR and receipts in the form of "thank you letters" were issued.

yore

AnonoBoy wrote: »

A golf course offering free golf as part of a deal? How immoral.

It could very well have been part of the package. For x amount of money we will host and cater those functions but we will also throw in free golf for your members.

Sounds like a good business head on the owner of the golf course.

Seriously? You be ok if it came out that if say , the Dept. of Education awarded an exclusive and valuable contract to maybe the K-Club for their conferences and along with that package the top 100 members of the the Dept. happened to get free golf course memberships??? You wouldn't think that that little perk might induce them to pay above the odds when the money isn't coming out of their pockets anyway?

"Ok lads. The RDS will give us their large exhibition room for our events during the year for 8 million. The K-club will give us the use of their facilities for 10 million but on the side will throw in 100 free memberships for us worth 10k each. All we have to do is decide to pick one and send the bill to the taxpayer"

MidlandsM

seamus wrote: »

Sure you would. "No no, here, take my money, I don't want it free".

no, I would'nt......you don't know me......

Sorcha16

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I'm pretty sure they'd be doing their job regardless of whether they got the free coffee or not.

The point was made that it was to encourage favouritism when responding to call outs -there's a reason these freebies are only given to Gardaí and not Joe Public beside him.

My point is that businesses should not be attempting to 'keep in' with the guards in order to receive preferential treatment, nor should the guards be encouraging this type of exchange by accepting freebies.

Public services should be provided equally to everyone, not on a quid pro quo basis

yore

ScumLord wrote: »

You don't really know what their fleet prices are like, they could be very competitive. Bulk orders are completely different to what normal people pay. On average what you pay is 40% - 60% more than what the shop pays.

It's irrelevant the absolute number that they pay. (Plus they wouldn't pay the taxes on it anyway). Of course it's cheaper than you or I can get it for.

The point is could they get the same deal for less expense?
Obviously there is room for maneuver if topaz can afford to give away all those freebies!

Hawk Wing 2

a free cup of coffee!! when will this madness stop?

AnonoBoy

yore wrote: »

How is this in any way similar

Well it has already been stated on this thread that they hope the Gardai are declaring the free coffees on their tax returns. That was what my statement was in relation to.

Would you be happy if some public sector body had an exclusive and lucrative contract with some golf course for hosting official functions and then you found out that all it's members coincidentally got to play there for free too?

A golf course offering free golf as part of a deal? How immoral.

It could very well have been part of the package. For x amount of money we will host and cater those functions but we will also throw in free golf for your members.

Sounds like a good business head on the owner of the golf course. And as long as there's not a 'Well we'll also allow you to murder people and not investigate it" clause I think they're ok.

yore

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I was on a business trip a few weeks back. I was treated to a night where all my food and booze was paid for. I hope Johnny Revenue don't find out about it!

How is this in any way similar

They were just trying to keep you happy in order to get your business. Guards have to uphold the law and cannot select who they will and who they will not help.

Would you be happy if some public sector body had an exclusive and lucrative contract with some golf course for hosting official functions and then you found out that all it's members coincidentally got to play there for free too?

A lot of professional industries have ethics regulations against what you described viz-a-viz your freebie night out. Because even if there is no actual conflict of interest, it gives the appearance of a potential conflict.

girl in the striped socks

Boombastic wrote: »

Aranza Glamorous Punk wrote: »

Why is it unprofessional, do you turn down the perks of your job?

How is it any different to the free tea and coffee that's provided for me in my work place? A guards work place is everywhere.

Lady behind the counter gets caught for lets say prostitution - Garda -sure it's mary form topaz, she gives us free coffee, she's grand..see you tomorrow Mary, will you throw in a roll?;)

Another poster put it well here it highlights the low level corruption going on in the PS, sure isn't everyone on the take and getting a few freebies thrown in

So are you going to answer my question???
If you were in a petrol station now & saw the exact same thing happen would you speak up against it or stay quiet?

Honey-ec

Boombastic wrote: »

I hope they are declaring their extra benefits on their tax forms

On what planet do you think free tea & coffee at work is a taxable benefit?

ScumLord

mathepac wrote: »

Free coffee, free snacks, free entry to night-clubs & cinemas, free drink in pubs, etc. The badge-flashers really go to town on it when in civvies and off-duty, "Security check bud, Gardai on duty, righ'?" I've watched it go on for years.

I've known "badge flashers" that have gotten into trouble for doing it. It's at the discretion of the establishment if they know the guard. I don't think you have too many guards flashing their badge off duty and they can't very well hide the badge on duty.

yore wrote: »

My point exactly.....for some reason the powers that be in the Gardai have awarded the contract to fill up the cars of their fleet to this expensive company.

You don't really know what their fleet prices are like, they could be very competitive. Bulk orders are completely different to what normal people pay. On average what you pay is 40% - 60% more than what the shop pays.

AnonoBoy

Sorcha16 wrote: »

A public servant shouldn't have to be bribed into doing their job.

I'm pretty sure they'd be doing their job regardless of whether they got the free coffee or not.

Sorcha16

A public servant shouldn't have to be bribed into doing their job. Whether it's a free coffee or a brown envelope, receiving backhanders for anything is unethical, end of

yore

elviscostello wrote: »

Maybe because they have a branch just about everywhere...

And they do a good coffee.

What has good coffee got to do with who they award their fuel contract to? Maybe they should have allowed Bewleys to tender for it :P

AnonoBoy

I was on a business trip a few weeks back. I was treated to a night where all my food and booze was paid for. I hope Johnny Revenue don't find out about it!

[Deleted User]

yore wrote: »

My point exactly.....for some reason the powers that be in the Gardai have awarded the contract to fill up the cars of their fleet to this expensive company. If there are cheaper options for petrol/diesel then one would have to wonder why, oh why, would the Gardai land the taxpayer with a higher than necessary bill......... :cool:

They don't pay the price you see on the pump, I have a topaz fuel card myself and in general the price I pay is close or on par with the cheapest apart from dodgy filling stations and I wager the Gardai have a lower price again.

Boombastic

Aranza Glamorous Punk wrote: »

Why is it unprofessional, do you turn down the perks of your job?

How is it any different to the free tea and coffee that's provided for me in my work place? A guards work place is everywhere.

Lady behind the counter gets caught for lets say prostitution - Garda -sure it's mary form topaz, she gives us free coffee, she's grand..see you tomorrow Mary, will you throw in a roll?;)

Another poster put it well here it highlights the low level corruption going on in the PS, sure isn't everyone on the take and getting a few freebies thrown in

enricoh

i met the publican beside me in the local cop shop before crimbo last year, dropping in a box full of jemy, brandy etc. his place has plenty of late nights n never any hassle with cops knocking. good bit of business on his behalf but i think its a slippery slope

yore

Aranza Glamorous Punk wrote: »

Why is it unprofessional, do you turn down the perks of your job?

How is it any different to the free tea and coffee that's provided for me in my work place? A guards work place is everywhere.

Sounds like the same attitude as "sure I'm a County Councillor. Getting money for giving a developer a rezoning that he might have got anyway was a perk of the job...sure you'd do it yourself boss"

corktina

just cos they are Gards they can't get freebies? We all get perks in some way in our jobs, they get far more ****e than most of us, I'd make 'em a coffee if they pulled in at my house (or anyone else)