Navy patrol crews hit by recruitment embargo
The warning comes from PDFORRA, the largest defence force representative organisation, which said an embargo on recruitment could have serious implications for the service.
The stay on recruitment is needed to comply with a Government directive to cut payroll costs.
PDFORRA general secretary Gerry Rooney says the navy will be hit harder by the move than other arms of the Defence Forces.
“The naval service is very tight on crewing levels and as people leave they need to be replaced quickly.
“There is very little spare capacity as it is. It is much more critical for the navy than the army or aer corps.”
Last year, the service’s eight ships spent the equivalent of 1,680 days at sea, an increase of 50% compared to operations carried out seven years ago.
Further increases are expected because Ireland plans to bolster its claim on the Continental Shelf.
This will lead to longer patrols amid harsher conditions in the Atlantic.
Facts show reduced crewing in the airline industry and the merchant navy has been a contributory factor in increased accidents.
“Usually somebody in the navy will spend 180 to 200 days per year at sea, depending on their grade.
“It could mean that people will have to stay out longer which would be unfair. On the other hand, reduced crew sizes would have health and safety implications,” Mr Rooney said.
The naval service is still interviewing candidates and giving them medicals in order to compile a panel of interested applicants if sanction is granted for recruitment at some later date.
If the embargo is lifted, the navy will probably have to give priority to specialist areas such as apprentice technicians, cadets and medical officers.
Meanwhile, it is also waiting to see if Government cutbacks will affect the modernisation of the fleet.
The LÉ Eimear was due to be replaced last year, but still hasn’t.
The LÉ Aoife is due to be decommissioned next year and the LÉ Aisling should be replaced around 2011.
A spokesman for the Naval Service said it had put a stay on recruitment for December to achieve the 3% savings demanded by the Government.
PDFORRA said it was looking at the impact of the recruitment embargo very seriously and will be raising the matter with the Department of Defence.
