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A potential breakthrough has been tabled in the dispute between An Garda Síochána (Irish police) headquarters and staff associations.

The announcement comes after Friday’s meeting between management and all four garda associations.

Both sides have been locked in discussions for weeks attempting to break the deadlock which has seen rank and file gardaí (officers) withdraw from voluntary overtime for five consecutive Tuesdays.

Ronan Slevin from the Garda Representative Association (GRA) told waiting media after the meeting that management had made a set of proposals to the staff association.

"We are going back to our executives to consider those and meeting back here again on Monday morning," he said.

"We are happy with the proposals but the executive have to make their own decisions first before we make any further comment."

It is understood that a proposed contingency roster will be in place until next year until a new roster is agreed.

The reintroduction of what’s known as the Westmanstown roster is at the centre of the dispute.

This would mean a return to the pre-pandemic six-day working weeks, followed by four days off.

Rank-and-file gardaí had previously worked four days on and four off, which the majority prefer due to better work-life balance among other reasons.

Budget day concerns

In July 2023, the Garda associations were given three months’ notice that the force would be returning to the Westmanstown Roster from 6 November.

The GRA said the six-day week would mean 47 additional days on duty each year for some members, increasing commuting and childcare costs.

After an overwhelming vote of no confidence in Belfast-born Garda Commissioner Drew Harris by the GRA last month, it was decided voluntary overtime would be withdrawn.

Last month, 13 people were arrested after protests erupted outside the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) amid rising tensions from certain sectors of society about immigration policy, vaccines and a plethora of other issues.

Politicians and staff had to be escorted by gardaí to and from their place of work, with reports that one staffer was robbed of her phone.

The news of the withdrawal of some gardaí had sparked concern among politicians that there will not be adequate gardaí numbers present to ensure further disruption is not caused when the coalition government announces their budget for 2024 on Tuesday.

A memo, seen by the ����ý, has gone out from garda headquarters requesting officers from the eastern and north west regions to present for work on Dublin on Tuesday if agreement was not reached about the withdrawal of overtime.

A Garda spokesperson told ����ý NI the meeting “followed a series of meetings collectively and individually over the last two weeks between Commissioner Harris and Garda senior management and the Garda associations as part of an intensive industrial relations process to seek agreement on a new roster.”

“At the meeting today, Garda management put forward a set of proposals that all the Garda associations agreed to bring back to each of their central executives for consideration.

Following this, all parties are due to meet again on Monday,” the spokesperson added.

An Garda Síochána will not be commenting on the detail of the proposals until each association has had the opportunity to consider them.”