PDForra conference: Defence Forces leaving in droves as they can't afford to live on wages

Young members of the Defence Forces are disillusioned and leaving the Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps in droves because they cannot afford to live on their wages.

Some young sailors involved in migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea earn less than the minimum wage per hour, while soldiers based at home are having their €360 per week take-home pay eaten into by significantly increased travelling costs due to relocation following the closure of several barracks.

PDForra, the organisation which represents enlisted Defence Forces members, claims that poor pay and conditions have resulted in low morale and fading comradeship among the rank-and-file.