Defence Force officers criticise poor conditions in military installations
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Conditions in some military installations are still appalling, with no heating when the weather is cold, toilets that don’t work and paint peeling off the walls.
That’s according to one senior officer who took part in Raco’s latest ‘Climate Survey’ for its members.
Another said he had encountered better facilities while on peacekeeping missions in Africa and Lebanon. One officer said he worked in a barracks entirely suitable for “the British army of 1850”, the year his barracks was built.
“I can’t get a phone signal from my office and there is no wifi,” he added.
A number of officers also claimed rat and mice infestation is a problem in some barracks and IT systems are poor.
While the Department of Defence has plans to upgrade several military installations, a junior officer said in some “it’s like stepping back in time” and the bedrooms have “a depressing feel” about them.
A senior officer said “the single biggest retention measure available to the organisation is the construction and expansion of living-in accommodation.”
He said this could be easily and speedily achieved “given the amount of unused and derelict buildings” in barracks around the country.
Raco members have also highlighted the need for the Department of Defence to return to providing married quarters in barracks.
It was pointed out officers are required to move the length and breadth of the country at times, and it would be a lot easier for them if they were able to bring their families with them.
“It’s time to reassert that we are a unique organisation with unique requirements,” a junior officer said.
While some barracks have good gym, sports and recreational facilities, others are substandard.
One officer said “gym equipment mirrors that of an underfunded GAA club as opposed to an institution which prides itself on physical fitness".
Working conditions are also poor in a number of installations. One senior officer said he and his colleagues “work in containers” where condensation is constantly running down the walls. In addition, he said they are very difficult to heat in the winter or keep cool in the summer.
Another officer said four of his colleagues have to work with just two computers in a room “which is realistically fit for just one person". He added at times up to six personnel are expected to work in this cramped environment.
Nearly 650 officers took part in the Raco Climate Survey, answering 70 questions and providing more than 10,000 individual comments.
In total, 67% of them maintained Department of Defence staff are interfering too much. “The Department of Defence should be there to facilitate the Defence Forces and not hinder us. Sometimes it seems that they are not on our side,” one officer said.
A lot of officers have complained about the lack of family-friendly supports in the Defence Forces and said there should be more opportunities for them to undertake remote working.
The conference will call upon the chief of staff to ensure regular ‘climate surveys’ are carried out by an independent group with all Defence Forces personnel, and the results of these are published at least every two years.
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