Sailors suffer stress over long absences from families

RANK-AND-FILE members of the Defence Forces yesterday welcomed the intervention of Defence Minister Willie O’Dea in relation to an “alarming” report on the impact of extended sea patrols on sailors and their families.

The study, commissioned by PDFORRA, the association for soldiers, sailors and airmen, found high levels of stress and low morale among serving members in the naval service as a result of long-range sea patrols.

The report, entitled A Voyage of Discovery, said spouses felt betrayed, lonely and depressed by the extended absence from their loved ones.

PDFORRA claims sailors are spending 100 extra days at sea, over a four-year period, when they should be on shore with their families.

“Naval Service personnel have no difficulty with doing the job as outlined for them in the white paper on defence,” said PDFORRA general secretary Gerry Rooney.

“In the white paper it was set out that a two-year rotation system — two years at sea and the following two ashore — would operate.

“This system has failed and sailors are now being required to work at sea — when they should be on shore rotation and available to their families.”

It is understood that 75 people have applied to leave the navy in the first three months of this year.

The report surveyed 212 sailors and 137 spouses. It found members had no confidence in management to resolve the problems.

Mr Rooney said they commissioned the research after they failed to get a hearing from management.

“At our meeting with the minister he assured us that discussions would commence on finding a solution to the many issues raised in A Voyage of Discovery.

“The naval service has critical roles in fishery protection and drug interdiction and the organisation simply cannot function effectively on low morale and stressed out sailors,” he said.

PDFORRA deputy general secretary Simon Devereux added that the naval service only had enough manpower to crew seven ships, but that it now had eight ships to cover.