A third of Defence Forces officers want industrial action for better pay

More than a third of Defence Forces officers believe they should take industrial action to leverage improvements to pay and conditions.

More than a third of Defence Forces officers believe they should take industrial action to leverage improvements to pay and conditions while nearly half of younger officers say they’ll quit the military within 10 years if the government doesn’t improve remuneration.

The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO), which represents 1,100 officers across the army, navy and air corps, will today reveal at its annual conference “a worrying” survey of what its members think of their jobs and futures.

It found that 36% of officers believe they should take industrial action to improve their lot. 

While 46% disagreed with this stance, the remaining 18% remain ‘unsure’. 

RACO general secretary Lieutenant Colonel Conor King said the survey findings are just one of a number reflective of a force rapidly haemorrhaging talent and struggling to recruit.

“This plays out in the figures which show that 44% of members intend to hang up their uniforms within the next 10 years," he said. 

"In addition, 27% say they envisage themselves serving for less than five more years. This is very worrying and should sound the alarm for policy-makers,” he said.

The long-promised, but still not implemented, EU Working Time Directive for the Defence Forces is a major issue for officers, with 41% of them seeing it as a barrier to retention.

In total, 97% of those surveyed said the government should do more to promote and support the Defence Forces.

Lieut Col King said if the government and senior military management act immediately they “can still turn the tide" on the recruitment and retention crisis. 

 “I believe the Defence Forces is a job many want to do. However, there are currently more attractive positions in the public service and private sector and that’s causing potential members to overlook the Defence Force."

The non-adherence to the terms of the EU Working Time Directive (WTD) within the Defence Forces is causing serious concern for RACO members, with claims that some officers are regularly working up to 70 hours a week.

The Defence Forces still don’t officially record hours worked and delegates will demand this is done in accordance with the terms of the WTD.

Delegates will also call on the Department of Defence to define the hours which should be worked by officers and remunerate them properly if they do any excess hours.

Former Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said he was close to announcing the introduction of the WTD for the Defence Forces but this has yet to happen.