1,400 members quit Defence Forces in last year

More than 1,400 officers and personnel have left the military in the past year, the vast majority of them voluntarily, according to the association representing defence forces officers. Both RACO, which represents officers and PDForra, which represents enlisted personnel, have expressed their frustration at the postponement three times of the publication of the PSPC report.

It’s expected the Cabinet will finally make it public this afternoon. RACO general secretary commandant Conor King said his association made its submission to the PSPC for the need for increased pay and improved conditions to stem the exodus of highly trained personnel from the Defence Forces in February 2018.

“Since then 130 officers and 1,100 enlisted personnel have left the Defence Forces, with 83% of them going before retirement age. Since the PSPC report was completed in May 100 personnel have left,” Comdt King said.

While some commentators are claiming the Government will announce pay rises today, he said that what is likely to be announced is only the restoration of allowances and duty money.

“It’s a small step in addressing the retention crisis, but there is a hell of a lot more to be done,” Comdt King said.

PDForra general secretary Mark Keane said he hoped today’s announcement will go questioned why there had been three delays. Twice he travelled from the Naval Service headquarters in Cork to Dublin for previously flagged announcements, only to be told at the last minute they had been cancelled.

It’s been very frustrating for me and for our members. I know they were saying it was because the Taoiseach was on government business, but couldn’t the Tánaiste have chaired Cabinet meetings?

“This report was commissioned in 2017 and we are very frustrated by the recent delays in publishing it. We want to see the details and sit down and do number crunching,” Mr Keane said.

Like Comdt King he said recommendations in the PSPC report were “unlikely to address core pay issues”.

“This will be about restoration of allowances as far as we can tell.” Mr Keane said.

“Although we’d like to think our recommendations to the commission would have been taken into consideration and the work the Defence Forces do will be rewarded.” The Naval Service is being hardest hit by the exodus of highly trained personnel for better pay and conditions elsewhere.

Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show this year to date 67 enlisted personnel have left the Naval Service and a further 33 have submitted the relevant paperwork to do so. Seven officers have also bailed out and a further two have indicated they will follow suit.