'Our members have endured years of hardship'

PDFORRA the association representing 6,500 enlisted members of the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps has passed a motion calling on the Government to fully implement the findings of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces as they relate to the pay and conditions of our members.

General Secretary, Gerard Guinan stated: “Our members have endured years of hardship with report after report and commission after commission reporting on the perilous state of the Defence Forces. We have ships that cannot go to sea for want of crews, aircraft that are having to be serviced away from the Air Corps and increasing numbers of personnel who are being mandatorily selected for overseas service due to lack of numbers.

He continued: “It's remarkable that despite the relatively positive pronouncements by the Commission that we continue to haemorrhage personnel from the Defence Forces at an alarming rate. PDFORRA is worried, with good cause, at the lack of movement on the issues of pay structures despite their recommendations in the Commissions report. When matters related to pay structures went before government there were numerous caveats and stays put in place. These is not the actions of a government committed to building a credible Defence Forces.

"While we welcome the increased budget announcement and the pronouncement of intent to increase numbers in Defence by an additional 400, this will be unattainable in the absence of movement on pay and allowance rates, which have not changed in any considerable manner.

"Our Association is calling on Government to frontload the pay structure measures, including the reform of sea-going allowances, the introduction of Long Service Increments for enlisted personnel- as recommended by the Public Service PAY Commission in 2019 and the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces in 2022. Additionally, the introduction of the rank of Lance Corporal would be a positive measure if undertaken correctly."