Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is a very welcome motion which contains a lot of very good things. However, we wish to add some important points that we believe are absent. The Labour Party has regularly sought an upgrade of the ability of the Defence Forces to negotiate their terms and conditions of employment. Such an upgrade would, in turn, have an impact on the ability to earn an income without having recourse to family income supplement. We also have concerns regarding the health and safety of Defence Forces personnel, particularly in the context of the use of Lariam. We have raised these concerns in our amendment, which takes the form of an addendum, and hope they will be acceptable to all Members of the House. As I said, the Fianna Fáil motion contains a lot of good measures which we in the Labour Party support. That is why our amendment takes the form of an addendum.

PDFORRA has long held the belief that for truly effective and equitable negotiations to be undertaken on behalf of its membership, affiliation to ICTU is imperative. This would allow the Defence Forces to have access to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, for dispute resolution and to be involved in national pay bargaining like other workers. This view has been held by the membership of PDFORRA since 1995, when a vote on the matter was passed unanimously by delegates at its conference. Speaking at the conference in 1995, Peter Cassels, the then ICTU general secretary, informed the delegates that while he recognised that the Defence Forces had a special role to play, members should still have a say on pay, taxation, social welfare and health, and this should be conducted through ICTU. Subsequent attempts by PDFORRA to petition various Ministers on the granting of affiliation status have been rejected. In a not too dissimilar situation two years ago, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, had a successful petition to the European Committee of Social Rights. PDFORRA reviewed the determination and considered the parallels between the circumstances of PDFORRA and the AGSI, and also petitioned the committee. PDFORRA believes that the protections enshrined within the European Social Charter should apply to its members and the Labour Party supports that call.

National pay agreements have been the norm in this country for many years. In the absence of an ability to highlight matters affecting its members at central negotiations, PDFORRA's effectiveness at negotiation is severely hampered. While there is a conciliation and arbitration scheme in existence for members of the Permanent Defence Force, it is, for a number of reasons, limited in scope and power. It is also identical to the scheme enjoyed by An Garda Síochána, which was the subject of its complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights.

We will continue to push for PDFORRA to have recourse to the WRC. The Bus Éireann dispute is now into its 12th day. Recourse to the WRC has always been available and talks will resume through that channel. Unfortunately, this option would not be open to members of the Defence Forces. This is wrong and needs to be rectified. In our addendum, we ask for this to be rectified and I hope it receives majority support in the House.

The cost of living crisis is not limited to one sector, it affects all sectors. The fact that over 20% - one in five is an incredible number - of the members of the Defence Forces are in receipt of family income supplement highlights a shameful aspect of our economy. The fact that there is an unwillingness or inability on the part of organisations in the private and public sectors to adequately pay their workforces in order that they can meet their basic living needs of housing, light, heat, food and raising children is a shame. If the Defence Forces were permitted to fight their corner in pay negotiations, their members would not have to avail of family income supplement in such high numbers. A plan should be put in place to ensure that pay is commensurate with the needs of ordinary members of the Defence Forces and, in doing so, to ensure the need for members to rely on family income supplement becomes a distant memory.

On 11 November 2016 an agreement was reached, through an independent adjudicator, that crews serving as part of Operation Pontus in the Mediterranean should be paid an armed allowance of €15 per day. These payments are still owed to the personnel and are long overdue. The Minister needs to rectify this situation with immediate effect.

We recognise the ongoing concerns of personnel and their families due to the continued use of Lariam and the lack of proper support and after-care services for members of the forces. There are very real fears about the impact on people's careers if any mental health side effects from Lariam are noted on medical records. An independent outside review in respect of the continued use of Lariam should be carried out. I have said this to the Minister on previous occasions. It is vital and long overdue.

Every day, the members of our Defence Forces bravely defend vulnerable communities worldwide from exploitation, violence and death. They keep the peace on the most dangerous parts of the planet. They rescue hundreds of refugees from the waters of the Mediterranean, where many perished fleeing violence and persecution. What our addendum and the original motion seek to achieve are relatively modest when weighed against the contribution the Defence Forces make to our security and that in theatres of conflict throughout the world. We ask for support for the addendum.

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