Page 40 - Signal Winter 2019

| RACO BDC 2019 |
Capt Alan Gordon, Standing Orders Committee, Capt Dermot Considine, 1 Bde, Lt Jamie Bray, AC
Lt Cdr Stuart Donaldson (XO LÉ Eithne), Capt Paddy Molloy (DF Press Office), Lt Cdr Donnchadh Cahalane (NHQ), and S/Lt Stephen Ryan (GO LÉ WB Yeats)
Removal of Effective Retention Policies
Lest we think otherwise, there was a time, not so long ago, that effective retention policies existed in the Defence community. But these have been dismantled piece by piece by those charged with championing our welfare and the effectiveness of the Defence Forces.
New Entrant Superannuation Scheme: Since 2013, the New Entrant Superannuation Scheme no longer provides a viable final benefit reflective of the actual increased contributions. Management’s failure to address this fundamental condition of service is seen by Members as a betrayal of “new entrants” and disrespectful of those who commit to service of the state. New Entrants will have no option but to exit the Defence Forces if they wish to secure a viable financial future. This is shameful and is the single biggest factor negatively effecting retention in the DF, and hence the future viability of the DF, is the removal of the supplementary pension from post 01 Jan 2013 new entrants. Government policy determines that all DF personnel are subject to early mandatory retirement ages. Hence the vast majority of post-2013 officers will retire a full 10 years before they can receive the State Pension. A recent Amárach Research survey
found that a shocking 79% of DF Officers inducted since 2013 intend to leave the organisation well in advance of their retirement age. The lack of an adequate pension provision for this cohort means that a significant majority feel that they have no future in the Defence Forces and will not stay long enough to develop and advance up the ranks and populate the chronic shortages at middle management level. The unprecedented level of Cadet inductions and associated unbearable burden it has placed on training capacity will all have been for nothing. SLIDE
Fixed Period Promotion for Technical Officers was unilaterally dispensed with, leaving these Officers with no viable career paths; effectively showing them the door. These Officers will be faced with a choice of returning to line units or leaving the Defence Forces if they wish to continue to advance their careers. In either event, 6 years of full-time training (4 year degree and rounding up to 2 years for YOs) at significant cost to the Exchequer, in addition to several invaluable years of learning their trade are being lost.
The Service Commitment Scheme (SCS) in respect of AC Pilots ensured manning levels were maintained at a safe and manageable level. The withdrawal of the SCS in 2010 has
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