Anger over alleged bid to gag military over cuts

TRADE unions and associations representing more than 100,000 public servants have reacted angrily to an alleged attempt to gag the military and prevent it from joining with an alliance fighting pay cuts proposed by the McCarthy report.

PDFORRA, the Defences Forces’ representative body, claims it was ordered by Minister Willie O’Dea to withdraw its representation from the 24/7 Frontline Services Alliance – an umbrella group which includes nurses, firemen, gardaí, prison officers, ambulance personnel and members of SIPTU.

More than 1,000 people who packed a meeting at the Silverspings Hotel in Cork last night heard widespread condemnation of the “gagging” move.

PDFORRA general secretary Gerry Rooney claimed Willie O’Dea had told his organisation it must break contact with the alliance.

It is understood that the minister has denied any pressure was applied.

“We are extremely disappointed with the response of the minister and his officials to our efforts to represent our members. We were involved with the 24/7 alliance. We didn’t join any body or group in our efforts to protect our members from further cuts in pay and allowances,” Mr Rooney said.

He had travelled to Cork for the meeting, but following the alleged ministerial order, took no formal part in it.

“We made it clear that we would not be taking any action which would contravene our stated role (of never taking industrial action) and yet we have been essentially silenced. PDFORRA is not a member of ICTU, so we have no voice at the table when our members’ interests are being discussed,” Mr Rooney said.

However, he said PDFORRA would continue to support the alliance’s objectives.

“Members of the Defence Forces have been hit hard with pension and income levies. There is every indication that our members are going to pay even further for the mistakes of others. This is unjust and unacceptable,” Mr Rooney said.

Des Kavanagh, general secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), who chaired the meeting, said that the fact that PDFORRA couldn’t be represented was an attack on democracy.

To loud applause, he said the nation was very proud of its Defence Forces and what had been done was “a very sad occasion for Ireland”.

Joe Dirwan, general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), said it was “a disgrace” Gerry Rooney wasn’t allowed to speak. “This is an attack on free speech,” he said before outlining proposed cuts which he proclaimed as public sector-bashing which had come about because of the failure of Government and bankers.

Mr Dirwan said you couldn’t compare the workloads of emergency services with the private sector and cuts in wages and allowances weren’t on.

“We work at the coalface doing some unimaginable jobs,” he said.

Jim Mitchell, president of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) described the tough jobs his men did and criticised politicians for trying to cut their wages.

“The politicians were tripping over themselves to claim the Celtic Tiger and then couldn’t be bothered to attend the poor cat’s funeral,” he said.

Louise O’Reilly, national nursing official with SIPTU, said PDFORRA “had been cruelly silenced”.

“We’re fighting back. It’s past the time we stood up for ourselves. The Government is trying to cod the people that public services are overpaid and underworked,” she said. “It will be too late to shout stop the day after the budget.”

Michael O’Boyce, president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said it was ironic that the Defence Forces protected democracy in this country and abroad and yet they were now denied it in their own home.

“Public service workers have been on the receiving end of a very powerful and negative propaganda campaign against them this year,” Mr O’Boyce said.

GRA general secretary PJ Stone and deputy president Damien McCarthy said that if the Government tried to silence their organisation they would be prepared to challenge such a move in the courts.

Liam Doran, general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) said the McCarthy report was biased and “a totally management-orientated wish-list of cuts, slashes and burns” which would “decimate everything society holds dear”. He said not one minister had rejected the idea of public service cuts.

Mr Doran warned that a cut the pay in the public sector would be the precursor of cutting pay across the board in the private sector.

“If there has to be industrial action so be it. The Government cannot dictate in the scandalous way it did to PDFORRA,” he said.