The association representing middle-ranking gardaí says it will not engage with the Public Service Pay Commission.

It follows comments by the chair of the commission yesterday when he said the threatened Garda strike was tantamount to “mutiny”.

Kevin Duffy was appointed by Government to chair the public service pay commission.

The former head of the Labour Court told an industrial relations conference yesterday that the now averted strikes by gardaí were best described with the word “mutiny”.

Immediately the Garda Representative Association, which represents rank-and-file gardaí said they had no confidence in Mr Duffy as chair of the commission.

And today the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) tweeted to say they won’t engage with the commission until at least their December meeting which will decide if they have confidence in Mr Duffy.

"We won't engage with the Public Service Pay Commission until our Dec meeting to decide if we have confidence in Mr Duffy" @morningireland

— AGSI (@AGSI_Ireland) November 25, 2016

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has insisted Kevin Duffy remains the right man to head up the commission tasked with advising the Government on pay in the public sector.