Sailors in the navy forced to bunk on ships as can’t afford rent

PDForra conference also hears soldiers with long commutes are sleeping in their cars to save money

Young sailors who can’t afford soaring rents are sleeping in cramped bunks onboard ships when they’re off-duty; while some soldiers who have to commute long distances to work are sleeping in cars to save money.

PDForra says the only way to prevent this from happening is for the Government to give poorly-paid personnel a rent allowance, which gardaí and prison officers get.

Sailors on LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla can use 11 bunks in each ship. They are all in one small room and are so tightly stacked they regularly hit their heads off the bunks above them, according to sources.

On average young sailors and soldiers have a starting salary of €21,800 per year.

They simply can’t afford to rent houses in the Cobh and Carrigaline areas, which cost around €1,100 a month.

PDForra is demanding that the Department of Defence provides a rent allowance of €4,000 a year for such military personnel and can’t see why they should be treated any differently from gardaí and prison officers.

It also emerged at their annual conference yesterday that young soldiers who make long commutes are taking holidays when they can’t afford to put fuel in their cars.

PDForra says there is also an urgent need for investment in proper accommodation for sailors and soldiers at their bases, as much of it is very substandard.

The increasing exodus of highly skilled people from the Defence Forces because of poor pay and conditions was again discussed at the conference.

A motion was passed on a proposal to establish a ‘Cross Ranks Board’ to investigate all retention issues impacting on the Defence Forces.

“We are losing some of our best people and this is a tremendous loss to the organisation,” PDForra general secretary Gerry Rooney said.

The conference was told that an estimated €13.6m was spent in the past five years on training recruits in the navy. Recruitment isn’t keeping pace with the number of people who are leaving the service before the age of retirement. It was stated that money would be better spent paying experienced personnel better wages, which would encourage them to stay in the job rather than leaving to find better pay and conditions in the private sector.

PDForra president Mark Scally said that more should be done to educate Defence Forces personnel so they are equipped to get another job when they retire. He said he doesn’t want the Department of Defence or military authorities to forget about privates, gunners, troopers, airmen and seamen who do not have the opportunity to gain an academic qualification prior to discharge.

“PDForra is seeking everyone enlisting in the Defence Forces to have the opportunity to gain an accredited skill within the first 12 years of their service, which will significantly advance their employability on exit,” Mr Scally said.

Meanwhile, Mr Rooney pointed out that the UN has requested the Defence Forces use more women on overseas missions.

“We hold the view that the role of Irish women in peacekeeping in conflict areas can be enhanced with additional training and education,” Mr Rooney said.