ALMOST 10,000 members of the Permanent Defence Forces will have to wait at least another month to begin balloting on a new pay deal, because of last minute delays in agreeing details of special allowances.
When the executive of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) met yesterday it expected to have the final draft of the deal for approval and begin balloting its members. Instead, the decision was deferred until the end of August. The ballot will not be concluded until late September.
Unlike other public service unions, PDFORRA opted to negotiate a straightforward 3 per cent productivity increase under the local bargaining clause of the PCW. Other unions, including the Representative Association for Commissioned Officers (RACO), sought to negotiate more complex restructuring deals that were expected to take longer, but would result in larger increases for at least some of its members.
A spokesman for the Department yesterday said the differences were minor and should be resolved shortly.