An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 15 PDFoRRA CoNFERENCE 2015 by SGT WAyNE FITzGERALD PhoToS by SGT MICK BURKE T his year PDFoRRA held its 24th Annual Delegate Confer- ence in the Clayton hotel, Galway, from the 6th to 8th october. With over 200 delegates and more than 45 mo- tions, this was another busy conference for the representative association. One topic discussed was primary medical care, with one speak- er talking of the requirement for injured personnel to receive the necessary treatment to give them the opportunity to fulfil the criteria to remain in service, and speaking of the possibility of a PDFORRA-funded medical plan. Motions passed by the delegates included calls for restoring pay and allowances; increasing numbers in the Naval Service; employing medical consultants; for the NEC to have access to the Labour Relations Commission; a common rate for flying pay and for it to be made pensionable; equal opportunities for Air Corps personnel on career courses; a 'duty of care' document for inves- tigating officers during redress of wrongs process and a review of the process. Another motion called for the payment of an armed overseas allowance for Naval Service personnel serving with the humani- tarian mission in the Mediterranean. There was also a call for the Ombudsman for the DF (ODF) to be reverted to a full-time position, as there has been no annual report since 2012 - it was subsequently released on 16th October 2015. In his address to the ADC, Minister for Defence Simon Co- veney TD told delegates of the "value, importance and signifi- cance placed by the government on the tremendous work being done by members of the Defence Forces", and commended the performance of the Naval Service crews involved in the humani- tarian mission in the Mediter- ranean. Minister Coveney also thanked PDFORRA for its input and engagement in the White Paper process. Referring to 2016 the minister said, "Key anniversaries (are) aris- ing as part of the decade of centenaries ... and the Defence Forces will provide significant support and input to many of these commemorative events." He also said the DoD would engage with PDFORRA on the terms and conditions of a commissioning- from-the-ranks process and was working on the issue of the low representation of females serving in the DF (6%). In his address, PDFORRA Gen Sec Gerry Rooney said that "the military and civilian sides deserve great credit for the current White Paper." Among other things, Mr Rooney said PDFORRA wanted action on the issue of females availing of parental leave who are then penalised for that leave when it came to qualifying for a pension. Speaking about the near 20% deductions in pay DF members have suffered in the last few years, Mr Rooney said the proposed 6% to be given back was 'modest at the least'. In conclusion, the general secretary spoke about the 7,000 migrants that had been rescued by Irish Naval Service personnel in the current Mediterranean mission and said it was "disappointing and disrespectful that their pay hasn't been settled". He said that while the DoD has "parked the bus" on this, PDFORRA might have to "drop an anchor" on it. In his first address to PD- FORRA's ADC, new Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM said, "Soldiers, sailors and aircrews proudly wear the uniform and commit themselves to a culture of service to defend, protect and support the government and citizens of Ireland. I want to lead our forces using the six core values of moral cour- age, physical courage, respect, integrity, loyalty and selflessness. This is what you should expect from the leadership and what the leadership of the organisation should expect from you." PDFORRA President Mark Scally spoke about the post-1994 personnel achieving their 21 years service, and that "while there were tough negotiations still ahead, PDFORRA are up for the fight!" He went on to congratulate Medical Corps personnel for their service with the mission to fight the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone and also Naval Service personnel for their continued excellent service in response to the Mediterranean migrant humanitarian crisis. Mr Scally also called on the minister and the DoD to do more for retiring service personnel, and said they all should receive academic qualifications before leaving. The president concluded by expressing his thanks to ACOS Brig Gen Colm Campbell, prior to his retirement early in 2016, for all the work he carried out with PDFORRA. Minister for Defence Simon Coveney TD PDFORRA President Mark Scally PDFORRA Gen Sec Gerry Rooney COS Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM

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