METRO FREE Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Please see Page 3 Christmas Gift Guide RANK and file garda were embroiled in a poten- tially damaging row yesterday as Justice Minister Dermot Ahern threatened officers who go on strike with legal action. The Garda Representative Association (GRA) is to ballot members for industrial action over planned pay cuts despite being banned by law. Garda representatives accepted the unprecedent- ed move may break the law but claimed they had no choice because of the anger of members. But Mr Ahern said the Government would not tolerate law-breakers, and called for cool heads. The people who uphold the law cant be law- breakers, he said. He added: It will be an indelibly bad mark in the psyche of the Irish people against the guards, who for 90 years have had a special place in the eyes of the Irish public. Talks on 1.3billion cuts to public sector pay collapsed on Friday, with the Government vowing to press ahead with wage reductions. GRA general secretary PJ Stone said members would be asked whether they would join a possi- ble mass walk-out over the planned cuts. Under the Garda Sochna Act 2005, officers guilty of bringing about a strike could be hit with a 50,000 fine, five years jail or both. The last mass protest by garda was in 1998, when in the Blue Flu campaign over pay they collectively phoned in sick on the same day. Mr Stone said: If it is the decision of somebody that we are breaking the law, then the law has been broken and we will have to be punished. But he added that members in police forces in other countries had the opportunity to negotiate on pay. We have not become rich people as a re- sult of our pay, Mr Stone insisted. BY colm kelpie Strike garda in threat of prison campaigner ciara Buckley outside the Department of the environment at the custom House in Dublin yesterday with 100 melting ice figures to represent oxfam ireland supporters as the organisation urges the irish Government to deliver a fair and safe global climate change deal at the copenhagen summit. See Page 5 Picture: Photocall thE icE iS mElting... Help meTRo Help THe eNViRoNmeNT. RecYcle THiS NeWSpApeR ToDAY PlUS Exclusive prints to be won! See Page 10Starts on Page 13 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html