The organisation representing officers in the Defence Forces is advising those aiming to become a cadet to first enlist as a private to boost their earnings and pensions, its annual conference has heard.
Nearly 200 Defence Forces cadets are being paid below the National Minimum Wage, members of the Representative of Association of Commissioned Officers (Raco) have been told.
Officers at the organisation’s conference in Trim on Tuesday heard that a cadet six months into their 16 month training earns €25,493 a year, compared with the €41,735 paid to a private who has completed their six month training period.
The gap of more than €16,000 has grown as pay for rank and file members has been increased in recent years, something Raco says it welcomes. It insists, however, cadets have completed training of equal or greater value by the six month mark and it wants them to receive the same level of pay.
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In the meantime, the organisation’s leadership said, Raco is advising potential officer recruits to first join the Defence Forces as a private and then immediately apply for cadet school, so as to improve their earnings and career average pension.
Comdt Paul Ralph told the conference he had himself enlisted as a private some years ago before attending the cadet school. When training there, he found he earned substantially more than his directly recruited classmates.
“There is an injustice being done here, because cadets are not being adequately paid for the work they are doing,” he said afterwards.
“They’re being paid less than €10 an hour and even after you take their accommodation and food into account, it is still below the minimum wage.
“They have trained to a similar or higher level after six months than a three-star private (one who has completed their training) yet the three-star private is on €42,000,” he said.
Although pay rates improve when an officer is commissioned, Raco says it takes five years for a cadet to earn the same amount as a private joining the Defence Forces on the same day.
Raco president Lt Col Martin Ryan said raising the age at which age cadets could be recruited to 39 earlier this year may have provided a “cheap or easy win” for recruitment, but the move had been completely undermined by the pay issue given the greater likelihood that older recruits will have family and other commitments.
“You can’t realistically ask people with a mortgage or kids to leave another job for a career in the Defence Forces if that is the pay on offer,” said Raco deputy general secretary Lt Col Derek Priestley.
About 80 cadets have commenced training this year, bringing the total current number to some 180.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said Raco’s concerns on the issue of cadet pay were “legitimate”
“My understanding is a business case around that has now been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform,” he said.
