Fishery protection vessels not at sea 'due to staff shortages'

PDFORRA Conference: Some Naval Service vessels are being confined to port because of staff shortages when they should be engaged in fishery protection duty, according to the Defence Forces representative association, PDFORRA.

Vessels are being forced to return early from fishery protection duty and are anchoring at night when they should be patrolling the sea, it has been claimed. The LE Emer was confined to port for five weeks at Haulbowline, Cork, recently because of a shortage of engine technicians.

PDFORRA's vice president, Mr Andy Mackin, said the shortage of staff is having a "huge strain" on seamen and their families.

"Under the navy's national implementation plan, the navy should have 1,144 personnel for seven ships. Not only have we never reached that figure, but an eighth ship has been introduced."

Mr Mackin said while sailors worked a rotation of two weeks at sea and two weeks on shore, few of them got their two-week shore leave. He added that the long-term rotation of spending two years on sea duties followed by two years at base was being disrupted because those on base duties were being called to sea to cover for colleagues on leave.

Sailors are expected to be at sea for 171 days a year during their two-year sea duty. Staff shortages pushed that up to 190 and will rise to 210 days by 2005. The staff turnover in the Naval Service is three times higher than in the Army and Air Corps.

The association's president, Mr Bill Coffey, said if the issues raised were not addressed, the service faced losing even more highly skilled personnel.

A member of the Defence Forces based in the north-west is facing court martial following a dispute over a subsistence allowance valued at just €20. The man in his 40s has become involved in a dispute with a senior office over whether he was entitled to claim the allowance. PDFORRA claims disciplinary procedures are being abused and should be reviewed.