Pay navy heroes full allowance, says group

Many are working up to 20 hours a day non-stop. And a number are paid so poorly, they earn just €100 more a week than some dole recipients.

Yet, while being proclaimed heroes by the public and lauded by their officers for saving thousands of lives, they say the payback is not coming from the Department of Defence to the Naval Service crews who have worked on humanitarian missions in the Mediterranean Sea.

Further details of the extent of the operations emerged yesterday, at the annual conference of PDforra, which represents the Defence Forces’ enlisted men and women. The organisation is fighting for the proper overseas allowance to be paid to the crews.