Defence Forces officers to hear from British Armed Forces' group as pay and conditions to dominate conference

Representatives from the independent British Armed Forces' Pay Review Body are finally set to address a conference organised by the Defence Forces officers' representative association, RACO.

They were invited to attend RACO's annual conference in October 2017 but were forced to decline the invitation after the Irish Department of Defence objected to their presence, much to the frustration of Irish officers.

RACO, which represents around 1,100 Army, Naval Service and Air Corps officers will open its annual three-day delegate conference in Naas, Co. Kildare, tomorrow evening.

It's expected that the conference will be dominated by poor pay and conditions.

RACO wants a similar independent pay review body to the British and one introduced by the Australian Government to be set up in Ireland.

RACO leadership see the introduction of such a body being the only way proper pay and conditions will be restored.

They say that it would recognise the unique nature of military service, and the restrictions imposed on Defence Forces personnel, including prohibition of the right to take any industrial action for better working conditions.

On the other hand, PDForra, which represents 6,500 enlisted Defence Forces personnel has been offered affiliation with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

PDForra, which will hold its annual conference in Tullow, Co Carlow next week, says getting affiliation to ICTU is the only way it will get a voice at the table during national pay talks.

Defence Forces personnel have been excluded from national pay talks in the past.

Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, expressed concern in a recent letter to Government that permitting PDForra to link up with the trade union movement would have implications for State security.

RACO delegates are expected to vote tomorrow night on whether to accept a small increase in allowances recommended by the Public Service Pay Commission.

Several of the motions call for increased allowances and better career paths for officers in an attempt to retain this leadership cohort.

Many officers are bailing out because they don't see a future in the military and are being enticed into the private sector where pay and conditions are superior.

RACO will call on Minister with responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe, to immediately introduce retention scheme initiatives to address the continued outflow of trained and experienced staff,

They say that's vital as recruitment is failing to increase overall numbers to the Defence Forces designated minimum strength of 9,500.

Currently, the figure is below 8,700, and this includes over 500 personnel in full-time induction training.

The current turnover rate stands at an unprecedented high of over 10%.

RACO also wants the Department of Defence to start re-investing in married and single living-in quarters for all personnel at military bases.

The Department of Defence did away with married quarters' at military bases some years ago.

However, they have been retained and in some cases enhanced in Britain, the USA and a number of European countries.

Defence Forces officers say that where such suitable living-in quarters are not available, an appropriate rent allowance should be paid.

The Department of Defence recently announced that it was planning to refurbish a Victorian-era block at Haulbowline Naval Headquarters for living-in quarters.

This was in response to the fact that upwards of 80 sailors are sleeping onboard ships during their time off because there is not enough living-in quarters at the base and poorly paid young sailors cannot afford ever-rising rents in towns and villages close to the base.