The application of the European Union’s Working Time Directive to the Defence Forces has been welcomed by the group representing commissioned officers as a “watershed moment” with the potential to ease recruitment and retention issues.
The protections contained in the directive in relation to daily breaks, maximum working hours and annual leave are already applicable to most other workers across the State and have long been sought by Defence Forces representative bodies, Pdforra and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (Raco).
The Department of Defence on Tuesday announced the directive would be applied to the Defence Forces. The move comes after years of criticism of successive governments for their failure to implement it.
The directive was given effect after the signing of the European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Defence Forces) Regulations 2025 by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke. It was approved last year by Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin.
Mr Martin said the implementation of the directive “has long been identified as an important retention measure for serving members and it is a significant further step in the transformation of the Defence Forces in line with my commitment to cultural change”.
“The provisions in the Act – including daily and weekly rest and maximum weekly working time over a 17-week period – will now apply to the vast majority of Defence Forces members, including members of the Reserve who deploy in support of the permanent Defence Force.”
Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Seán Clancy, said the move “marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts at improving the working conditions in Óglaigh na hÉireann”.
Raco general secretary Lt Col Conor King said it was “a watershed moment” for his organisation’s members and the Defence Forces generally. He welcomed it and other changes announced in relation to supports for serving members, including the provision to soldiers serving in the Lebanon of free flights home for leave during their tours of duty.
In relation to the directive, he said the European Court of Justice had been critical of Ireland’s failure to more fully implement it as far back as 2010. Pdforra and Raco had engaged in various rounds of talks on implementation for more than a decade without much progress. He said there had been various court actions and estimated that a quarter of Raco members had been paid some form of compensation for breaches.
He said work is still ongoing on the establishment of systems that will accurately monitor working hours and there had been compromises with regard to naval patrols, training courses and work in support of local authorities such as after floods.
“My only regret is that it didn’t happen five years ago when we had 9,500 members,” he said. There are now about 7,500.
“What you’ve had is a situation where the willing horse was always flogged. People were double and triple jobbing, getting burnt out and then just leaving. In the short term this may make it even more difficult to continue to fulfil some roles and responsibilities, but hopefully in time that will ease as people realise they’re actually being valued.”
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