[1] Irish law prohibits members of the Garda Siochana from joining trade unions because of a view from Government that police industrial action would pose a risk to public safety.
From 1927 to 1962, Garda members were represented for limited purposes by a Joint Garda Representative Body (JGRB); this body was criticised as dominated by senior officers and unable to secure needed changes in conditions of work.
[4]: 17, 37–38 After a major and unauthorised meeting of hundreds of rank-and-file Gardaí at the Macushla Ballroom in Dublin, a chain of events led to the establishment by the then Minister for Justice, Charles Haughey, of three new representative bodies, divided by rank, including the Representative Body for Inspectors, Station Sergeants and Sergeants (RBISS).
[4]: 161 Following a number of episodes, the three 1962 representative bodies were replaced by four new associations in 1978, including the AGSI.
Although members of the NEC are elected from branches, the resignations were described as "human resources matters" by the AGSI president, as the association's leadership promoted constitutional changes.