Members of the Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces (WPDF) are warning the government that they will continue to highlight poor pay conditions within the military.
The WPDF says it is dealing with families who are at breaking point, with some even battling homelessness.
The Current State of Affairs
Currently, around 1% of members of the Defence Forces are drawing the Working Family Payment.
Newstalk‘s Aideen Finnegan, who met with some members of the WPDF, reports that one woman and her husband are couch surfing as they cannot afford rent. Another woman has resorted to feeding her child cereal for dinner as she runs out money at the end of each week.
Lack of Accommodation
Over the past number of years, there has been an increase in the closure of barracks. This has resulted in fewer accommodation options for Defence Forces members.
This can lead to members renting a room to be near their base while having a family home in another county, which causes extra financial pressure.
Highly Regarded
According to the Institute of Public Administration, the Defence Forces have an 82% trust score and rank the 4th highest in Europe.
Yet soldiers who helped gardai secure the Phoenix Park for the Papal Visit last summer were paid just €47 per day- less than minimum wage.
Government Acknowledgement
“This Government has acknowledged that pay is an issue for members of the Defence Forces,” according to Minister with Responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe.
Minister Kehoe also states that pay is going to be restored to members with a particular focus on the lower paid members.
Finnegan reports the WPDF are not satisfied with this as “the Defence Forces are still the lowest paid public sector group and pay restoration won’t fix the difficulties that people are in.”
Listen to the full interview below:
