The representative association of soldiers, sailors and aircrew, Pdforra, said today it was “surprised and disappointed” at the decision by Government to impose a ban on recruitment and promotion within the Defence Forces.
The Department of Finance announced last Friday that a ban on permanent and temporary recruitment – and all promotions and regrading – will be enforced until the end of 2010 in the Defence Forces, Civil Service, local authorities, the Garda and semi-state companies.
Pdforra general secretary Gerry Rooney said it had taken a decade to rebuild the Defence Forces into a modern efficient organisation from the ravages of previous cutbacks" and now all this effort and progress will be seriously downgraded."
"The Defence Forces has very serious commitments both at home and overseas. The organisation is developed on the basis of new recruits being engaged annually and older members moving up the line or retiring," he said.
"This system also ensures that promotion at all levels is required throughout the Defence Forces to ensure that the force retains its edge and gaps are filled as they emerge."
"A ban on recruitment and promotion over an extended period can have very serious repercussions for the overall effectiveness of the Defence Forces - and it should not be applied at this critical time in the organisation's development," he added.
Mr Rooney said a complete ban on recruitment and promotion was a "crude way" of saving money and that lack of promotion would cause people to leave the Defence Forces.
Pdforra is due to meet representatives from the Department of Defence tomorrow to discuss the ban.