Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces (WPDF) to hold a protest march and 24-hour vigil

Published: Wed 29 Nov 2017, 4:58 PM

Last updated: Wed 29 Nov 2017, 5:01 PM

We, the Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces (WPDF) will hold a protest march and 24 hour vigil at Leinster House Thursday 30 November. The protest begins at 2pm with a wreath-laying ceremony on Merrion Square East.

The aim of this peaceful protest march and vigil is to continue to raise awareness of the unacceptable pay and conditions endured by our loved ones who are enlisted members of the Defence Forces.

Their low pay, which makes them some of the poorest paid public servants in the country, ensures that Defence Force families continue to endure food and fuel poverty, while our children continue to suffer.

Since establishing our group in November 2016, we continue to be overwhelmed by the avalanche of real-life stories experienced by Defence Force families.

Budget 2017 came and went and did nothing for people like us who are struggling on a daily basis to make ends meet, despite our partners working full-time (with irregular and unpredictable hours often affecting family life).

The recent extensive workplace climate study conducted by academics Dr Juliet Mac Mahon and Dr Sarah Mac Curtain from the University of Limerick validated everything WPDF have been highlighting since the outset.

In this report, Members of the Defence Forces described an organisation that is now in crisis, coping with poor pay, declining training standards and ever more people seeking to leave.

While these findings are not surprising to us, we are concerned that this upsetting evidence and excellent conclusions and recommendations will sit on a dusty shelf without any action until the next piece of research is commissioned.

WPDF would like to invite all families and friends of serving, retired and deceased members of the Defence Forces to join us as we remember and honour deceased members of the Defence Forces. This wreath-laying ceremony is on Merrion Square East at 2pm on November 30. Families and visitors may be seated inside the gates.

Following the wreath laying ceremony attendees will continue with a ‘walk for welfare’ from Merrion Square to Leinster House, where invited guests have been asked to speak. This will include politicians and WPDF representatives.

Our loved ones complete 24-hour duties, and for this they earn just under €20. We find this to not only be insulting and shameful but utterly disrespectful.

Evidently, the value placed on our loved ones’ time, effort and hard work is not acknowledged or rewarded adequately and we vehemently deplore this inexcusable treatment.

As a result, WPDF will carry out a 24-hour vigil at Leinster House, beginning at 8am on November 30, to symbolise this reprehensible usage of our Defence Forces.

Members of the public are welcome to visit us during this ‘duty’ and to join us at any time.

What do we want?
1. We want access to labour courts for all members of the Defence Forces.

2. A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. We want full pay restoration and pay increases and we want duty pay restored.

3. We want the post 1994 contracts reviewed so that our healthy, fit and experienced personnel can stay in the Defence Forces if they so wish. At present many have to leave after 21 years.

Special Thanks

We would particularly like to acknowledge and thank the Members of Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA), who have been instrumental in organising the wreath-laying ceremony and parade.

They have gone out of their way to support us and we are forever grateful to them. We fervently believe in having a united voice and in particular with retired personnel who bring incomparable expertise and experience.

This week we will launch our ‘Thank you for your Service’ campaign, which aims to bring assistance to Defence Force members and their families – both serving and retired.

It is envisaged that participating retail outlets will display our sticker to show personnel that they offer discounts to personnel with ID. It is our way of showing our Defence Force members (retired and serving) that we appreciate them.

Even if the government fails to show our Defence Forces gratitude, we will endeavour to always work with and on behalf of our Defence Force families and we continue to give voice and visibility to them.

We are grateful to Expert Electrical Naas for embracing this campaign and for recently hosting a VIP night for members of the Defence Forces. Any retailers who would like to participate can contact us by email below for information.

Please join our protest march beginning at 2pm at Merrion Square East, Dublin.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WPDF2017/