Naval Service's inability to put ships to sea blamed on sailors' pay

PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said his association has repeatedly sought improvements in remuneration that would have incentivised sailors to stay. Picture: Paul Mealey

The blame for the navy’s latest crisis, which has left it with just two operational ships, is being firmly laid at the Government’s door for failing to act on sailor pay recommendations.

Military representative associations PDForra for enlisted personnel and Raco for officers, have said the continuous shrink in personnel could have been halted if the Government had introduced improved sea-going patrol duty allowances, as recommended in the 2021 Commission on the Future of the Defence report compiled by a panel of national and international military experts.