Garda sick leave soars as row over new disciplinary code 'to escalate'

Extra.ie​

04-05-2025

The number of sick days claimed by gardaí has soared by more than 40% over the past five years, Extra.ie has learned.
It comes as leaders representing the rank and file gardaí have warned they will 'escalate' their response to a controversial new suspension policy, just days after threatening to withdraw cooperation from the policing operation for Ireland's EU presidency next year.
At its conference this week, the Garda Representative Association (GRA)—representing 11,000 officers—said it will not attend any Garda planning meetings for the EU presidency until suspension and entitlements issues have been resolved. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins
And GRA vice president Niall Hodgins this weekend warned unless there is 'immediate reform' of the new policy, the association will 'escalate our response'.
The Dublin-based detective told Extra.ie: '[The] suspension policy has been introduced without agreement… a central issue in our ongoing dispute with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
'We demand immediate reform; time-bound investigations, legal transparency, and fair treatment for every member.'
He added: 'We will not allow our members to be scapegoated, sidelined, or silenced. The GRA stands firm in defence of those who serve this country with dedication, and we will continue to fight for fair treatment, dignity, and real reform in policing.'
Ireland will hold the EU presidency from July to December 2026, when Irish ministers will be required to lead high-level meetings, steer the legislative and policy agenda, and interact with other EU institutions.
Garda Brendan O'Connor told this week's conference in Killarney, Co Kerry, that gardaí are not threatening industrial action and not withdrawing their labour, but would simply not co-operate until their issues are addressed. Donegal garda and former GRA president Brendan O'Connor. Pic: Conor Ó Mearáin
It is illegal for serving gardaí to organise a strike, but during previous disputes with management, individual officers called in sick with the so-called 'blue flu' in protest.
At the conference, gardaí from across the country complained that their injury-on-duty payments are being reduced, travel and subsistence rates for duty away from home are insufficient, and the suspension policy is unjust.
In a sign of dropping morale, new figures provided by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan show sick days claimed by gardaí increased by almost 50% since the pandemic. In response to parliamentary queries from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, the minister confirmed the number of sick pay days increased from an average of 12.94 in 2020 to 18.35 last year.
The total rose from 6,853 sick days claimed in 2020, to 7,018 in 2021, 8,004 in 2022 and 8,199 in 2023, rising again to 8,487 last year. Pic: Conor í' Mearáin
Other figures confirm the average level of absenteeism has also increased year on year, rising to 14.19 days per garda in 2021, 16.59 days in 2022 and 17.62 in 2023.
Mr O'Callaghan also confirmed that the number of gardaí suspended from the force has increased significantly over the past decade.
Suspensions rose from 12 in 2017 to 21 in 2018, 26 in 2019, 41 in 2020 and 44 in both 2021 and 2022. The figure fell to 27 in 2023 and then to 18 last year, while 10 officers were suspended in the first two months of this year alone.
Mr Tóibín described the figures as 'startling', adding they 'should act as a wake-up call'.
The opposition party leader queried why sick leave is 'going through the roof' and asked if there is a 'direct correlation between this massive increase in sick days and the growing dysfunction and collapsing morale within the gardaí'. Peadar Tóibín. Pic: Fran Veale
Detective Garda Niall Hodgins said that rising sick days and absenteeism are 'a direct consequence of sustained systemic neglect, deteriorating working conditions, and a leadership approach that isolates and demoralises front-line gardaí.
He told Extra.ie: 'The GRA notes with growing concern the reported increase in sickness and absenteeism among members of An Garda Síochána. The men and women of An Garda Síochána serve under intense physical, psychological, and emotional pressure. Often without adequate support, fair treatment, or resources.
'It is disingenuous and unjust to focus solely on absentee statistics without addressing the root causes: chronic understaffing, excessive workloads, lack of meaningful mental health support, and a climate of fear and mistrust created by the Commissioner's disciplinary policies.'
Det Garda Hodgins added: 'The GRA continues to oppose the Commissioner's harsh and prolonged suspension practices. Gardaí are being left in limbo for many years, without clarity, charges, or due process.'
In response to queries, Mr O'Callaghan said the management of ordinary sickness levels and injuries on duty is a 'key priority for national and local [Garda] management who are committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all Garda members and Garda staff'.
A Garda spokeswoman said the rise in sick leave 'is a reflection of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of frontline duties undertaken by gardaí nationwide.
'As in any large organisation, the incidence of ordinary sickness tends to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis and can vary from requiring a single day off to recover, to longer periods which are certified by a GP.'
On the GRA concerns over suspensions, she said: 'Consultation will continue in respect of the interim policy', adding: 'No garda will be worse off under the new regulations compared to the previous.' The spokeswoman said a total of 96 gardaí are suspended, including 10 for assault/ assault causing harm, 12 for domestic violence/ coercive control, eight for sexual assault/ sexual misconduct and 17 for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
She asked, 'Is the GRA saying they shouldn't be suspended for such alleged serious offences?'
Additional reporting by John Drennan