The Garda Representative Association has confirmed it is pressing ahead with an unprecedented no confidence ballot in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
The vote, which is expected to take four to six weeks, will involve ballots being sent out to the GRA's 11,000 members in the coming days.
The dispute surrounds the potential return of a pre-Covid roster, which the GRA said will impact on officers' work-life balance; see 20% less officers working at any one time; and could result in some public services being affected.
Specifically, Commissioner Harris said gardaí should return to a six days on/four days off, 10-hour shift roster from 6 November.
However, the GRA say guards should continue to work on a four days on/four days off, 12-hour shift pattern.
After Mr Harris said last month he would implement the plan regardless of concerns, the GRA's leadership agreed on 26 July to ballot its members on an unprecedented vote of no confidence in the Commissioner.
Due to the stand-off, Mr Harris requested a meeting with the GRA this morning at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park.
However after an hour GRA representatives left the meeting, saying little progress had been made.
Speaking with RTÉ News after the meeting, GRA Interim General Secretary Ronan Slevin confirmed the representative organisation will now press ahead with a vote of no confidence in Commissioner Harris.
"The executive decided last week to ballot members. That ballot is still going ahead.
"On a normal shift [the pre-Covid shift pattern that Commissioner Harris wants to re-introduce] you'll have 20% less officers working at any one time.
"We feel some of the services to the public will suffer as a result of this," Mr Slevin said.
The GRA's 11,000 members are due to receive ballots in the coming days, with a vote result expected in four to six weeks.
A statement from An Garda Síochána has confirmed that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and senior garda managers have met with representatives of the GRA.
Following the meeting, Commissioner Harris repeated his desire to the GRA to continue with the plan to revert to the pre-Covid roster on 6 November.
"It is vital that whatever garda roster is in place serves the public and supports the most vulnerable in society, ensures the health and wellbeing of gardaí, and allows the Commissioner to effectively and efficiently manage the organisation within the budget available," Commission Harris said.
He added that "it was clear that the Covid-19 roster no longer meets those criteria."
"At this meeting, Commissioner Harris re-iterated his desire and commitment to reach a collective agreement with all Garda associations on a new roster through the State's industrial relations dispute mechanism, the Workplace Relations Commission," the statement said.
It added that there has been a failure to come to an agreement on a new roster following three years of "direct talks" between garda management and garda associations.
"At today's meeting, Commissioner Harris also outlined the range of measures being taken to address other issues raised by the GRA under the organisation’s control.
This included the recruitment of Gardaí, which sees 464 trainee Gardaí currently in the Garda College and further trainees to come, as well reducing administrative tasks for Gardaí," it said.
The statement also outlined there has been an increase in the number of front-line supervisors at Sergeant and Inspector rank, along with increased welfare and mental health supports, a new uniform and what is said to be the largest fleet of vehicles in the organisation's history.
