Organisation: RACO

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Organisation: RACO

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan confirmed the number of successful applicants his association had represented to date on the WTD claims. File picture</p>

news

Over 1,600 Defence Forces personnel awarded compensation for working overtime

In total, 1,636 personnel have already received monetary compensation from the Department of Defence for the alleged breaches and many will also get time-in-lieu owed to them

<p>
<span lang="EN-US">The representative body of the Defence Forces, Raco, described the prohibition as 'draconian'.</span>
</p>

politics

Council of State examines laws stopping Defence Forces commenting publicly on politics

<p>The Defence Bill contains a controversial provision restricting the views of military representative bodies.</p>

news

Remove 'gagging order' from Defence Bill, recommends Oireachtas committee

State needs to treble spending on defence, officers warn

news

State needs to treble spending on defence, officers warn

26/1/2018 Largest Commissioning Ceremonies of Defence Forces Officers

news

Officers concerned at raising of entry age for cadets to Defence Forces

Seán O'Riordan: Defence Forces may be on the brink of resolving its recruitment crisis

spotlight

Seán O'Riordan: Defence Forces may be on the brink of resolving its recruitment crisis

'Scandal' that Defence Forces officers paid less than €4 an hour overtime on 24-hour shifts

'Scandal' that Defence Forces officers paid less than €4 an hour overtime on 24-hour shifts

Raco calls on the Government to drastically increase the 24-hour rate, especially as gardaí get time and a half as a minimum for overtime

Wed, 15 Nov, 2023

File photo CHIEF OF STAFF of the Defence Forces has said that full gender equality and greater diversity in the ranks can only b

Defence Force officers criticise poor conditions in military installations

One officer said he worked in a barracks entirely suitable for 'the British army of 1850', the year his barracks was built

Tue, 14 Nov, 2023

Defence Forces to start recording personnel's hours

Defence Forces to start recording personnel's hours

RACO, which represents 1,100 officers in the Defence Forces, says some members are 'double and treble jobbing' to fill gaps in units by putting in up to 70 hours a week

Tue, 14 Nov, 2023

A third of Defence Forces officers want industrial action for better pay

A third of Defence Forces officers want industrial action for better pay

More than a third of Defence Forces officers believe they should take industrial action to leverage improvements to pay and conditions while nearly half of younger officers say they’ll quit the military within 10 years if the government doesn’t ...

Tue, 14 Nov, 2023

Ministerial Review of the Lebanon Bound 42nd Infantry Group in Dublin

Further delay in Defence Forces plan criticised

Implementation plan, due last January, now 'expected' after Dáil resumes

Mon, 28 Aug, 2023

Naval Service's inability to put ships to sea blamed on sailors' pay

Naval Service's inability to put ships to sea blamed on sailors' pay

Representative associations say shrink in personnel could have been halted if improved sea-going patrol duty allowances were introduced

Thu, 24 Aug, 2023

Recruitment agency admits issues with finding recruits for Naval Service

Recruitment agency admits issues with finding recruits for Naval Service

There is a chronic shortage within the navy of marine officer engineers, engine room artificers (ERAs) and communications specialists

Fri, 18 Aug, 2023

Sean O’Riordan: When warning shots on the crisis in our military go unheeded

Sean O’Riordan: When warning shots on the crisis in our military go unheeded

Officers are increasingly quitting the Defence Forces well before retirement age and a new survey lays bare the reasons for the exodus, writes Sean O’Riordan

Mon, 14 Aug, 2023

Officers would not recommend Defence Forces career to friends or relatives, survey shows

Officers would not recommend Defence Forces career to friends or relatives, survey shows

More than half of those surveyed who had quit Defence Forces were aged in their 30s and some received their officer commissions as recently as 2021

Mon, 14 Aug, 2023

State 'saved millions by not paying Defence Forces personnel overtime'

State 'saved millions by not paying Defence Forces personnel overtime'

Government was advised in early 1990s that the military should be legally covered by the Working Time Directive, which means Defence Forces personnel should be entitled to the same overtime payments and restrictions on working hours as other public servants

Mon, 31 Jul, 2023

Sean O’Riordan: What will the Working Time Directive mean for the Defence Forces?

Sean O’Riordan: What will the Working Time Directive mean for the Defence Forces?

Hopes that the directive will be introduced soon, but fears that the State will water down its benefits

Mon, 31 Jul, 2023

07/11/2013. Ministerial Review of the Lebanon Boun

Defence Forces a 'basket case' as personnel crisis deepens

Independent TD Cathal Berry said the 25% drop in our military personnel numbers must be immediately addressed with better retention measures

Tue, 30 May, 2023

Defence Forces lodges complaint against Government over failure to pay overtime

Defence Forces lodges complaint against Government over failure to pay overtime

PDForra and Raco have made joint complaint under European Social Charter

Wed, 10 May, 2023

30 years of Women in the Irish army

Defence Forces in need of cultural reform, say PDForra and Raco

The country’s two military representative associations were responding to the Independent Review Group report

Tue, 28 Mar, 2023

Sean O'Riordan: Defence Forces are sleepwalking towards a staffing crisis

Sean O'Riordan: Defence Forces are sleepwalking towards a staffing crisis

Inadequate pay, pensions, and conditions are driving personnel out of Ireland's Army, Air Corps, and Navy

Mon, 16 Jan, 2023

Naval service numbers fall below 800, over 200 below its minimum staffing level

Naval service numbers fall below 800, over 200 below its minimum staffing level

So far this year 102 people have quit the navy, with just 28 recruits joining the force

Wed, 30 Nov, 2022

Boosting Defence Forces to promised 11,500 personnel 'not achievable'

Boosting Defence Forces to promised 11,500 personnel 'not achievable'

Only way increase can be achieved is by creating proper retention policies which have been lacking for years, Raco warns

Tue, 29 Nov, 2022

Civil Defence Covid 19 medals ceremony

Defence Forces fear new exemptions will keep members working excessive hours

RACO president Commandant Martin Ryan said some soldiers in the 7th Infantry Battalion recently had eight or nine compulsory 24-hour duties a month

Tue, 29 Nov, 2022

Military forces 'not fit-for-purpose', Raco warns

Military forces 'not fit-for-purpose', Raco warns

Our military forces are near an all-time low strength and “not fit-for-purpose” at a time when global political turmoil is probably at its most dangerous since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Tue, 29 Nov, 2022

Calls for gardaí to follow Defence Forces on retirement age

Calls for gardaí to follow Defence Forces on retirement age

Frontline garda supervisors have issued fresh calls on the Government to extend the retirement age to its members.

Thu, 03 Nov, 2022

File Photo Fianna Fil is warning that numbers in the Defence forces have hits a Ònew low.ÓAt the end of May, there were only 8,

Defence Forces sees exodus of doctors 'as better pay available elsewhere'

The Defence Forces should have 25 Medical Officers (doctors) based in the country, but only nine can be currently counted as operational

Thu, 03 Nov, 2022

Sean O'Riordan: Recruitment crisis leaves navy on 'eve of destruction'

Sean O'Riordan: Recruitment crisis leaves navy on 'eve of destruction'

With the Naval Service haemorrhaging critical staff and difficulties around recruiting personnel, Ireland is left in a vulnerable position when it comes to protecting our coastlines

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Soldiers lodge complaint with European court over overtime payments

Soldiers lodge complaint with European court over overtime payments

Government called on to alter terms of Defence Forces conciliation and arbitration scheme which denies them the right to seek payments for hours that would, in the rest of the public sector, be classed as overtime

Tue, 04 Oct, 2022

Poor wages and staffing crisis to dominate PDForra conference

Poor wages and staffing crisis to dominate PDForra conference

Challenges facing the country's frontline military will be discussed over three days

Tue, 04 Oct, 2022

Military bodies welcome expansion of seagoing loyalty bonus but warn more is needed to stem staff exodus

Military bodies welcome expansion of seagoing loyalty bonus but warn more is needed to stem staff exodus

An amendment to the loyalty bonus scheme will allow those with a minimum of one year’s service to apply for the sea-going allowance

Wed, 27 Jul, 2022

Defence spending boost draws mixed reaction from representative groups

Defence spending boost draws mixed reaction from representative groups

The annual defence spend is set to rise to €1.5bn by 2028

Wed, 13 Jul, 2022

Army 'stretched to the limit' without having to cover 'failings' at Dublin Airport

Army 'stretched to the limit' without having to cover 'failings' at Dublin Airport

The army should not be used as cheap labour to cover failings at the country’s busiest airport, Defence Forces representative groups have warned.

Wed, 29 Jun, 2022

ICTU to prioritise better pay for Defence Forces members

ICTU to prioritise better pay for Defence Forces members

Defence Forces personnel are among the lowest paid of all public servants, according to Ictu

Fri, 03 Jun, 2022

Defence Forces Conduct Mission Readiness Exercise in Preparation for UNIFIL (Lebanon) Deployment

Defence Forces officers to temporarily join ICTU for pay talks

Officers in the Defence Forces are to be allowed temporarily join the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and have a voice along with rank and file soldiers at the national pay talks.

Thu, 02 Jun, 2022

Sean O'Riordan: All our military personnel want is to be treated fairly

Sean O'Riordan: All our military personnel want is to be treated fairly

Members of the Defences Forces will never down tools. This may be why they are badly treated in terms of pay and conditions, writes Defence Correspondent Sean O’Riordan

Thu, 21 Apr, 2022

Cormac O'Keeffe: Irish Defence Forces will have to fight to realise this ambitious report

Cormac O'Keeffe: Irish Defence Forces will have to fight to realise this ambitious report

Even retaining staff remains a challenge — but the CDF report recommends radical reform including a 50% increase in funding

Fri, 11 Feb, 2022

Defence Forces report 'must not be allowed gather dust'

Defence Forces report 'must not be allowed gather dust'

PDForra president Mark Keane, who represents 6,500 military personnel, said there had to be political will to carry out its major recommendations to upgrade the Defence Forces

Wed, 09 Feb, 2022

Defence Forces needs 700 new recruits per year to reach full strength

Defence Forces needs 700 new recruits per year to reach full strength

A failure by the Commission on Defence to recommend major solutions to the chronic retention issues in the country's military will only lead to further departures, according to the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO).

Fri, 14 Jan, 2022

Military officers claim third-world countries have better accommodation than Ireland

Military officers claim third-world countries have better accommodation than Ireland

There has been mounting criticism across the Defence Forces about substandard accommodation in military installations

Tue, 23 Nov, 2021

Decline of Defence Forces 'becoming irreversible'

Decline of Defence Forces 'becoming irreversible'

The decline of the Defence Forces may be “becoming irreversible” if necessary steps are not taken, an Oireachtas committee is set to hear.

Tue, 29 Jun, 2021

More than 500 submissions made to Commission on Defence

More than 500 submissions made to Commission on Defence

More than 500 submissions have been made to the Commission on Defence which will make recommendations for change to resolve the current problems in the Defence Forces.

Wed, 14 Apr, 2021

Naval Service lost more staff in the last year than signed up for €10k incentive

Naval Service lost more staff in the last year than signed up for €10k incentive

Between the end of 2019 and end of 2020 personnel numbers declined from 985 to 904, a decrease of 81. The minimal strength of the Naval Service is supposed to be 1,094.

Thu, 11 Feb, 2021

PDForra not backing independent pay review model for military

PDForra not backing independent pay review model for military

PDForra, which represents more than 6,000 enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces, has broken ranks with officers' association, RACO, and is not advocating the setting up of an independent pay review body for the country's military.

Thu, 02 Jul, 2020

RACO says Defence Forces can't wait for pay commission

RACO says Defence Forces can't wait for pay commission

The association representing the country's military officers says the Defence Forces cannot wait more than a year for the completion of yet another report on its future and steps must be taken in the meantime to appoint an independent pay commission.

Thu, 18 Jun, 2020

Defence Forces officers have "lost faith" in government

Defence Forces officers have "lost faith" in government

The association representing Defence Forces officers says it has lost faith in the government's willingness to address the retention and recruitment crisis and declared the government's promise of a suite of reports to fix it as “a whitewash.”

Wed, 27 May, 2020

Call to halt depletion of Defence Forces

Call to halt depletion of Defence Forces

The next government must draw up a six-point plan to reinvigorate the ever-depleting Defence Forces, which are now at their lowest strength for more than 50 years, a former senior army officer has urged.

Wed, 27 May, 2020

Defence Forces members returning to battle Covid-19 will not get pensions

Defence Forces members returning to battle Covid-19 will not get pensions

There is anger at a government decision not to pay re-enlisting members of the Defence Forces their pensions during the Covid-19 crisis, while the opposite is apparently the case for returning healthcare workers and prison officers.

Tue, 07 Apr, 2020

Threat of return to violence in North: Defence Forces' officers' body

Threat of return to violence in North: Defence Forces' officers' body

Defence Forces' officers warn Irish airspace the "weak underbelly" of Europe

Thu, 12 Mar, 2020

Naval staff shortage may see ship tied up while Ireland ‘awash with drugs’

Naval staff shortage may see ship tied up while Ireland ‘awash with drugs’

The Naval Service is so under-resourced that there are fears it won’t be able to combat maritime drug shipments while at the same time adequately patrolling EU fishery waters post-Brexit.

Sat, 15 Feb, 2020