ABOUT RACO
The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers was formally established in 1991 by statute under the Defence Amendment Act. Defence Force Regulation S.6 is the Statutory Instrument that gives effect to the Act and governs, inter alia, the establishment, funding and operation of Representative Associations in the Permanent Defence Force. The Scope of Representation of the Association, as set out in DFR S.6, includes the pay and conditions of service for members of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service.
Full Time Officals
The Association has two full time officials; Lt Col Conor King (General Secretary) and Col Derek Priestley (Deputy General Secretary). Ms. Pearl Walsh is the Office Manager and Administrator for the Assoication.
National Executive
The National Executive consists of eleven officers; the President who has a casting vote only, the General Secretary and Treasurer in a non-voting capacity and the elected Chairs of the respective constituencies with voting rights. These are 1 Brigade, 2 Brigade, the Defence Forces Training Centre [Curragh], Defence Forces Headquarters, the Air Corps, the Naval Service and a Lieutenant's Representative. With the exception of the Lieutenants’ Representative, each of these constituencies has 5 elected members. In 2023, an additional position of Gender, Diversity and Inculsion Adviser was added to the National Executive and also has voting rights.
Association Members
Membership of the Association is voluntary and open to all serving officers of the Permanent Defence Force; from 2nd Lieutenant to Colonel and equivalent Naval Service ranks. Almost 96% of all officers of the Permanent Defence Force are members of the Association. Honorary Cadet membership of the Association is voluntary and open to all cadets of the PDF. Cadet membership does not entitle the member to any voting privileges nor a place on any Association committee.
C&A Process
A public service staff association such as RACO, operates within a Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme. The Scheme was established under the auspices of the Ministers for Finance and Defence. It is designed to provide a means acceptable, to both the State and officers of the Permanent Defence Force for dealing with claims and proposals relating to their conditions of employment as well, as to secure the fullest co-operation between the State, as employer, and Defence Force officers, as the senior management of the Force, for the better discharge of business. As an aid to the negotiation process where, at the culmination of the negotiation process, the parties agree to disagree on a particular issue or claim, recourse to an independent third party is available. Depending on the nature of the claim, this third party may be a facilitator, arbitrator or adjudicator.
Affliates
RACO is affiliated to Euromil, the association of European Military Representative Associations and the Irish Conference of Professional and Service Associations (ICPSA).