The Government may be facing new conflict over public pay claims, this time by members of the Defence Forces who are prohibited from industrial action.
A hint of growing militancy was given yesterday in an address by the general secretary of PDFORRA (Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks' Representative Association) at its annual conference in Co Donegal.
At the conference the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, suggested that soldiers' representatives may be included in the social partnership for public sector pay talks. Military and Garda representatives have so far been excluded.
Yesterday, the PDFORRA general secretary, Mr John Lucey, said national pay deals had so far failed to address soldiers' demands over pay. He told delegates, in the presence of the Minister of Defence and the Defence Forces Chief-of-Staff, Lieut Gen Dave Stapleton, that there was pressure in the ranks for "action". Soldiers should reject the pay offers under the public sector pay rounds.
The conference is holding closed discussions on potential action in pursuit of higher pay.
Mr Lucey said: "We must all remember the arbitrary and brutal closure of military barracks last year and the serious acrimony which developed. Unless there is a major sea-change in terms of how this association and its soldiers are viewed generally, there could be difficulties ahead.
"If the Minister, civil servants and the military authorities cannot or do not impress this upon the Government, the tail will again start to wag the dog and the membership will demand that we take some action regardless of the consequences. And if we do not, they could take that action themselves."
He continued: "I now firmly believe we should reject national pay agreements and go it alone and let the dice fall where it may."
Mr Smith said he had initiated talks between his officials and the Department of Finance about the inclusion of PDFORRA in the social partnership talks. "I hope that these discussions will have a successful outcome."
He urged delegates to bear in mind the economic advances as a result of social partnership. "The lessons of the 1980s remain relevant. In the pre-partnership period, during the seven years to 1987, manufacturing earnings increased by 101 per cent in nominal terms but real take-home pay decreased by 7 per cent because of the impact of inflation and tax, while unemployment rocketed.
"A generation of our children were confronted with the bleak choice between emigration and the dole. Since partnership began, in the 12 years to 1999 manufacturing earnings increased by over 59 per cent in nominal terms while take-home pay increased by over 35 per cent and numbers in work increased by 560,000."