Soldiers ‘can’t afford €48 a week for accommodation’

The Defence Forces say soldiers shouldn’t have to sleep in their cars as there is emergency accommodation available to them — but it costs €48 a week.

The Defence Forces press office said senior officers would investigate claims that some soldiers, who’ve seen their wages cut dramatically in the past six years, simply can’t afford to drive home to their families every night.

The claims were made by senior figures in the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association (PDForra) at their annual conference in Sligo.

Some of those choosing to sleep in their cars were soldiers who had been transferred to other barracks when a number of them were closed two years ago.

In some cases, they were having to make round-trips of up to 290km and they couldn’t afford the fuel to travel home every night.

It has been reported, but not yet substantiated, that a couple of soldiers were only returning home after a week-long shift. The Defence Forces press office said yesterday that the military had a duty of care to its troops and that anybody in need could seek emergency accommodation by making a request up the ranks.

But PDForra, which represents more than 6,800 rank-and-file members, immediately hit back.

General secretary, Gerry Rooney, said while accommodation was available, it would cost a soldier €48 a week which, some obviously couldn’t afford, otherwise they wouldn’t be sleeping in their cars.

He said soldiers had seen a 20% drop in their wages and allowances in the past few years. “There are a lot of people on the lower end of the pay scale. There are 1,600 of them employed by the Defence Forces who are in receipt of Family Income Support,” Mr Rooney said.

Delegates voted that their senior executives would immediately enter into negotiations with the department of Defence with the aim of restoring wages and allowances to the pre-Croke Park/Haddington Road agreements.