Gardaí have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years with regard to income reductions and work standards. They have seen their wages dwindle, with pay cuts, increased taxes, the loss of tax free credits, USC charges, Pension Levies, Allowances being reduced and some taxed. Further to this, Gardai, like most people who bought during the boom, are faced with huge mortgages and household bills, and have reached a point where they simply cannot give anymore. They have come to a point where many Gardaí face weekly dilemmas of either putting food on the table or foregoing a bill payment. This is reality. Many are on the FIS support scheme and some even have had to apply for Medical Cards as they face severe financial hardships.

Our Government now seek to deepen this hardship by reducing Garda pay by approx 8% which, for many Gardaí, will be unsustainable and will force them into uncharted waters where many will drown.

All we ask is for these new proposals of cuts to be seriously considered from a human stand point and not a statistic. They have given everything they can for this country to recover. They have made their sacrifices and they have paid their fair share. When they joined this great institution, they undertook the responsibilities with an open mind and clear understanding, and accepted the risks that accompany such a job.

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