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A significant number of Defence Forces members could leave because “there are opportunities for them elsewhere” given the growth in the Irish economy, the head of a representative group has said.
Gerard Guinan, general secretary of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA), said members of the Defence Forces felt they had not been treated like other front-line public servants.
PDFORRA members voted in favour of basic pay restoration under the latest Lansdowne Road agreement but have not received benefits, Mr Guinan said.
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland members would receive a basic pay increase of 1 per cent from January 1st, and a further 1 per cent from October.
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He added PDFORRA was campaigning to restore premium payments for weekend work and “the 10 per cent taken off the main duty allowances in 2013”.
Mr Guinan said the association would have liked to negotiate these issues before signing up to the pay deal but had they not ratified it, they would have “endured draconian increment freezes for the next three years, and the restoration of payments would have been deferred or delayed by up to nine months”.
Having visited ever barracks and unit in the State, Mr Guinan said he found “a significant level of frustration and anger” among members at how they were treated during the pay talks.
Falling numbers
Numbers in the Defence Forces have fallen below the target set by the Government of 9,500 personnel and a further 500 in training.
Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe said on Wednesday the current number in the Defence Forces is 9,240, which is still 260 below the target.
He told Newstalk Breakfast 800 people would be brought in before the end of the year. He said the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces were working to encourage highly qualified personnel to re-enter the forces.
Measures were also being taken to ensure retention within the ranks, Mr Kehoe said.
However, PDFORRA said recently some 2,840 personnel have left the Defence Forces in the past five years.