Navy personnel leaving for army 'due to better pay and conditions'

Highly trained navy personnel continue to leave for private-sector jobs, it is claimed. Picture: Larry Cummins

Personnel are leaving the Naval Service to join the army because allowances and conditions are better. 

It is now feared this shift will become even more pronounced if the Government doesn't act swiftly to provide better remuneration for sailors.

Meanwhile, highly trained navy personnel continue to leave for private-sector jobs and patience is running thin with the promise, made in mid-July by Defence Minister Simon Coveney, to introduce emergency remuneration measures to stem this tide.

Mark Keane, president of PDForra, the association which represents enlisted personnel, said he is aware of "numerous personnel" departing the Naval Service for the army.

“The dogs on the street know that Defence Forces recruit training is hardship. The fact that members are willing to leave one area of Defence Force service, where they have completed this training to undergo this training in another branch of the Defence Forces, is indicative of the level of crisis that we are facing," said Mr Keane. 

"These personnel love the prospect of service to the State, but they are overwhelmed by the current conditions within the Naval Service."

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath was recently briefed at the naval base on manpower issues and said he has held discussions with Mr Coveney about his promise to get more remuneration for navy personnel.

In a statement, Mr McGrath said the Government is committed to addressing these issues so that the navy can meet its operational responsibilities in full. He said he would try and progress them as quickly as possible.

However, he added: “It is important that any decisions made are consistent with the Government’s public pay policy, which would appear to rule out any one-off pay rise for the Defence Forces, who are the lowest paid of all public servants.

“I would also point out that members of the Defence Forces, along with all public servants, will receive a 2% pay increase on October 1 under the Public Service Stability Agreement and the navy patrol allowance will increase by 5% as part of the continued unwinding of Fempi,” said Mr McGrath referring to the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts.

Commandant Conor King, general secretary of Raco, which represents officers in the Defence Forces, said the 2%  pay restoration is for all public servants, as agreed under the Haddington Road Agreement — "and is not a pay rise".

"The 5% rise in the navy patrol duty allowance is also a restoration as part of the final unwinding of the Fempi legislation. This equates to less than €2.80 before tax for each day spent at sea, and, according to our Naval Service members, will not be nearly enough to incentivise seagoing operations, which is what must happen if we are to retain our personnel and begin to restore the operational capability of the Naval Service at a critical time," said Comdt King.