Garda rep calls for bonus for officers who worked during pandemic as Taoiseach hints at rewards

A representative for the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has suggested that officers should receive a bonus for the work they put in during the pandemic.

It was revealed last week that the Government plans to give frontline workers a bonus of some kind as a reward for their efforts during the last 18 months since the first Covid case was recorded here in March of 2020.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s This Week programme, AGSI General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham wants Gardaí to be brought into that bracket.

She said: “Gardaí have not formally, or informally been brought into the conversation yet.

"But of course, it’s our belief that we should be brought into that conversation given the service that we did provide over the last 18 months and still provide.

Ms Cunningham said that some member of the force were exposed to "some of the negative elements of society," and that there had been "increased anxiety and stress for the members of AGSI as they policed their way through a silent and deadly virus."

During the first five weeks of the original lockdown, there were 70 recorded spit attacks in the direction of Gardaí .

Cash bonuses and free days off for shop workers who served through the pandemic are under consideration by the Government in the upcoming Budget.

Gardai made a number of arrests during anti-lockdown protests (Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)

Taoiseach Micheál Martin revealed details of the plans in New York outside the United Nations where he had just spoken when he met with Irish journalists outside.

The plan would see the bonus scheme being considered for frontline workers extended to, potentially, hundreds of thousands more ordinary workers.

The Taoiseach said he wanted to give back something that would “reflect the contribution” of the efforts of many workers, in “many sectors” during the pandemic, not just the traditional frontline workers like nurses and gardaí.

And he specifically mentioned “retail workers” in his comments, which suggests that people working in High Street shops, supermarkets and petrol stations could all be in for a bonanza.

The Taoiseach would not be drawn on the specifics of any scheme, but he did reveal that the bonuses could be in monetary terms and/or time off in lieu.