The two staff associations in the Defence Forces are expected to ballot their members in coming weeks about a Government pay offer arising from the re-opening of the last public sector pay round.
It is understood the Government has offered a rise of about 4 per cent in addition to previous increases given to the military under the Programme for Competitiveness in Work (PCW).
Last year, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, acknowledged that military pay rates had fallen behind other sectors and reopened negotiations under the PCW, which should have closed in 1996. The military staff associations had already gained a 3.5 per cent increase under the agreement.
It is understood the latest offer gives them an additional 4 per cent. This includes an increase of about £15 a week on military service allowance back-dated to the start of this year. This allowance is paid to all soldiers to the rank of commandant and is counted as pensionable salary.
The completion of the PCW negotiations means the staff associations can begin talks on the latest pay round, Partnership 2000. Soldiers will be entitled to the basic Government offers under Partnership 2000 and will be engaging in talks to seek further increases.
The Government pay offer under the PCW was made to the staff associations representing the 11,500 Defence Forces members in a letter of comfort in the past week. The main association, the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA), has sought a minor alteration to the Government letter before putting the offer to a ballot of its members. It is expected they will vote in favour.
The offer will simultaneously be put to a ballot of the other smaller staff association, the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO). The officers are also likely to accept.
Mr Smith and the new Chief of Staff, Lieut-Gen Dave Stapleton, are visiting Irish troops serving with the United Nations in the Middle East. It is understood the Minister has also come to an agreement to improve overseas allowances to soldiers serving with the UN and he is expected to convey details of the increases while visiting troops serving in south Lebanon.