Plans by the Garda Commissioner to extend the emergency 12-hour garda roster introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic until the end of the year appear to have met internal industrial relations difficulties. The contingency roster, introduced by the commissioner last March, was due to expire in September. It is understood that the commissioner sought to extend the 12-hour roster for most gardaí until the end of 2020. Discussions with garda staff associations are expected to take place next week to try to resolve the outstanding issues. The contingency roster, which replaced the 10-hour roster with a 12-hour roster, was part of measures taken by Commissioner Harris to maximise frontline gardaí in order to police Covid-19 regulations.

Source: Irish Examiner July 31, 2020 18:56 UTC