Cumann na nlar - Oifigeach Coimisiúnta newsletter Association of Retired Commissioned Officers Issue No: 31. Autumn / Winter 2016 ARCO Web Site: www.iarco.info Pension Restoration The Alliance of Retired Public Servants (of which The Alliance believes that the time has now come for revisiting ARCO is an active member) recently sent a letter to pension arrangements. The overwhelming view is that the low level and slow pace of pension restoration under the FEMPI Mr Paschal Donohoe T.D., Minister for Public 2015 Act is wholly inadequate and pensioners have to be Expenditure and Reform highlighting a number of involved, like the public service unions, in official discussions events that occurred in the past few weeks. which now appear imminent in regard to FEMPI and related matters. The issues mentioned were: What is absolutely clear, however, is that the concept of _ the granting of access to Garda organisations to the WRC 150,000 public service pensioners having no access to third party industrial relations machinery, on a permanent or ad hoc and Labour Court; basis, in the event of possible disagreement in due course with _ the Labour Court proposals in relation to GRA and AGSI government about pension restoration and pension increases is increasingly untenable. In effect, pensioners voices are being claims; ‘gagged’ and it is important that pensioners lobby their public _ the subsequent public calls of major public service unions representatives demanding that their voices be heard. Lobbying at a local level is an effective method of ensuring that for urgent revisiting of pay restoration under Landsdowne your concerns are noted and can be fed up to national level. Road; and _ the references in official statements to "the wider Points to remember when talking to your public representative are; implications " of the Labour Court recommendations in relation to the continued operation of the Landsdowne _ Average Public Sector Pension is approx. €20,000.00. Road Agreement requiring careful consideration _ Unlike Public Sector workers, PS pensioners have NO It was pointed out that these issues were clearly "game _ It is ironic that 100 years after the 1916 rising, the state uses changers" which are greatly impacting on the growing concerns emergency law against the very people who spent their of public service pensioners, as they are on serving public lives serving their country. servants. _ For the second year running, we have the fastest growing economy in Europe. The emergency must be well and truly over. In our Newsletter, No 29, we highlighted the changes in relation to Pension Restoration which were introduced by the Government in June 2015. The second phase of this restoration is due on 01 January 2017. This second phase will see an additional €500.00 per anum restored to those affected. As a result, any public servive pensioner on a pension of less than €26,000.00 per anum will no longer be subject to the pension reduction. ARCO is continuing to work with the Alliance to have the exemption treshold increased, so that all members will attain full pension restoration sooner than outlined in the 2015 Government announcement. 8 Jadotville Recalled By Declan Power September 13, 1961, marked the While the recently made film, ‘Siege of Military historians agree that Kerry-born Jadotville’ was adapted from the book ‘Siege Comdt Quinlan had no alternative but to start of a horrendous five-day at Jadotville’ there are a number of areas of surrender when he did. What the film does siege that, to this day, remains the dramatic licence taken that the professional not show however is that the enemy had biggest and bloodiest battle ever military observer will have noted. For example, requested a cease-fire on the afternoon of apart from the Coy Comd, Comdt Quinlan, the Saturday, Sept 16, 1961. fought by the Irish Defence only other observable commissioned officer in Forces. It commenced when most the unit is shown to be a ‘Lt Donnelly’ in In the period between that afternoon and the command of the 60mm mortars. evening, a battle of nerves was commenced of the members of A Company, 35 between Comdt Quinlan and an array of Inf Bn were attending a mass Even though this is outlined in the book, I will adversaries. Despite the terms of the ceasefire parade following their deployment quickly outline the composition of A Coy. At laying down for joint-patrolling but not further the time of the Jadotville action, A Coy was manoeuvring of forces on either side, the to a place called Jadotville as part composed of: No 1 Platoon under Lt Joe Leech Kantangan forces deployed closer to Irish of a UN mission to the Congo to No 2 Platoon under Lt Tom Quinlan (later to lines. win a DSM for actions in the Battle of the restore order and stability Tunnel and retire a Brigadier-General) The Fouga jet continued to demonstrate the following its independence from No 3 Platoon under Lt Noel Carey Katangan control of the skies. Quinlan at this Belgium. Support Platoon under Capt Liam Donnelly. point knew UN reinforcements had failed twice to take Lufira Bridge and therefore he The company 2i/c was Capt Dermot Byrne could expect no imminent breakthrough to As the enemy forces – native rebel troops led and the company sergeant was C/S John support him or his men. by war-hardened European mercenary officers Prendergast, with CQMS Pat Neville as the – approached A Coy lines in a hostile fashion, other senior NCO of the company and who A request by Quinlan through his chain of a young sentry looked for guidance from his administered his stores and managed the command to allow for a demonstration of UN sergeant. welfare of the company throughout the action. airpower by an over flight by Indian or Ethiopian jets came to nothing as the jets still And as the incoming mortar rounds and had not successfully negotiated the necessary machinegun bullets started to pound the Irish Attachments transit through neighbouring airspaces to trenches, it fell on the inexperienced deploy to Katanga. shoulders of Sgt John Monaghan from Attachments included the following: Athlone to hastily organise the defence. Comdt Joe Clune – Doctor In the end, Quinlan was faced with negotiating Monahan himself had just returned from Fr Thomas Fagan – Chaplain his surrender with the Katangan minister of washing and shaving to find the well-armed Lt Kevin Knightly – Armoured Car the interior, Mr. Godfroid Munongo, a very natives closing in on the Irish positions. Still in Detachment commander plus nine other ranks senior and experienced political figure. his singlet, the young NCO frantically shouted (incl fitters). To set the matter straight, A Coy, Among other things, Munongo had orders to the other gun crews and jumped including its armoured car attachment, was complimented the Irish on their military behind a Vickers machinegun, with which he 157 all ranks. There has been some performance and honourable fight at proceeded to cut down swathes of the speculation on the strength of A Coy as Jadotville, but warned Quinlan that many advancing enemy. The Katangan rebels – who deployed to Jadotville and as to whether locals were incensed at the losses caused by had expected to overrun what they knew to attachments were included or not. In general the Irish and were making ready to storm the be largely young and unblooded troops – the figure for the strength of A Coy always Irish positions in protest. Munongo also made were taken aback by the ferocity of the Irish includes the attachments. it known that local feelings were running high response. about alleged UN force’s atrocities and killing Without attachments, A Coy, as deployed to of prisoners at Elizabethville. And yet what was to become known as the Jadotville, stood at 145 all ranks. This did not Siege of Jadotville, fought 55 years ago in the correspond to its official nominal roll at the So among the many things that must have strife-torn former Belgian Congo, does not time as a number of other ranks and one been on Quinlan’s mind at this point, was the even merit a mention in the history books officer, Capt Kevin McCarthy, were deployed notion of his men being provoked into studied by Irish schoolchildren. Until on other duties back at 35 Irish Bn HQ in defending themselves against a violent civilian comparatively recently, there was little Elizabethville. mob…and then being wiped out by the recognition for the 157 Irish soldiers who dug gendarmes with an end narrative that A in and fought on the outskirts of that dusty Capt McCarthy had been kept on the initial Company had to be finished off as they had mining town for almost a week against a force coy strength, but re-deployed to Bn HQ to attacked unarmed civilians! The Irish troops, that at its peak numbered 3,000. assist as the battalion cine photographer as he many of them teenagers who had never was one of the few with such expertise in the before left Ireland, were up against battle- Instead, they and their commanding officer Defence Forces at the time. hardened native troops led by seasoned have been airbrushed out of official accounts mercenaries like the infamous ex French of Ireland's role as UN peacekeepers in the Attached Swedish personnel included: marine, Bob Denard. postcolonial Congo and branded cowards – Lt Larse Fromberg who was attached to A Coy often to their faces. For, after five long days, as a liaison officer and interpreter and was All round, he was faced with a series of their food and ammunition exhausted, their with A Coy on their initial deployment but not unpalatable options.