Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State said, "The Fine Gael record is one of standing up for the Defence Forces and the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who serve our country with loyalty and distinction." What he should have said is, "The Fine Gael record is one of treating the Defence Forces and the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who serve tge country with loyalty and distinction to a diet of low pay which is completely unacceptable." Low pay is rampant in the Defence Forces. Some 20% of Defence Forces personnel, that is, one in five, are paid such a low wage they are forced to apply for and survive on family income supplement. Has that cohort not served their country with loyalty and distinction? PDFORRA has calculated that, taking into account the long hours they work, naval personnel on tours of duty in the Mediterranean have been working for €9.15 per hour. This is a minimum-wage rate. Is that what the Minister calls standing up for the Defence Forces?

The month of April is upon us.

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Boys and girls around the country are being prepared for their First Holy Communion. It is a costly exercise with clothes needing to be bought and preparations made for the day but parents are prepared to sacrifice to do it properly. How many members of the Defence Forces will be forced this year to seek loans to pay for the communion because their pay is so low? How many will be forced to get loans from moneylenders in towns and villages throughout the country let alone being unable to pay a mortgage or afford a holiday in 2017? Full pension rights in the Defence Forces are reserved for members with 21 years of unbroken service. How does the Minister of State justify the fact that taking one's statutory parental leave constitutes a break in service and means one does not receive a full pension? Is that not unfair, particularly for female members of our Defence Forces?

Against this background, we have seen the establishment of the group of wives and partners of members of the Defence Forces. They have called for protests at barracks across the country on the part of Defence Forces wives, partners and families on Thursday, 20 April, assembling at gates at 12 noon and continuing the protests until 2 p.m. under the slogan "Pay our forces a fair wage". These wives and partners stand in the proud tradition of the National Army Spouses Association which rocked the political and military establishment with protests and election challenges to the exploitation of Defence Forces personnel. They were effective. The development of this new group is a positive one, as is their protest. I wish them good luck on their bold initiative which deserves to be a great success.

The motion is extremely watery. It is aimed at making Fianna Fáil look good while putting no real pressure on the Government to address these issues. The addendum and the amendment are good. I support the idea that the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association should have the right to go to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court and to affiliate with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. They should have full trade union rights up to and including the right to strike.

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