Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am aware of the concerns among general staff, including the concern raised by RACO that this approach would not be its first choice. ICTU has an opposing view and sees this as the right way to go. Ultimately, the public sector pay talks have failed personnel in the Defence Forces in the past. That is at the heart of whatever we decide to do. I do not think there is any fear of soldiers ever engaging in a green flu protest or striking. It is not in their nature or in the oath they take. When I say that there has been a failure in public sector pay talks, that is not a slight on the representative bodies. The structure is wrong. Some have suggested that we could have an independent pay review. That would again leave the Defence Forces outside the room when everybody else was talking, which would be a mistake. The idea of soldiers being treated the same as everybody else and being at the heart of the pay talks is key. Do other EU countries allow military personnel to have trade union status or affiliate to national trade union bodies? What is the experience of those countries? We should make such an international comparison before making a substantial decision on this issue.

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