Tour of duty carries heavy cost

About half the Territorial soldiers who were in the third deployment to East Timor had to quit their jobs in order to serve.

Ken Foote, a colonel in the Territorial Force, yesterday made a submission to MPs in a private capacity on legislation proposing that employers be forced to keep Territorial soldiers' jobs open.

Colonel Foote said that of the more than 100 Territorials who went to East Timor as part of the Third New Zealand Battalion Group, half had told him in a survey that they had resigned their jobs because they could not get paid or unpaid leave.

A lack of education among employers meant the Army would find it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain the Territorials it needed, said Colonel Foote.

"Although many serving Territorials seem prepared to sacrifice their civilian employment in order to deploy on 6- to 12-month missions, it seems an extremely heavy price to pay, particularly in view of other sacrifices already made," he said.

But he only partly supported the bill proposed by National's defence spokesman, Wayne Mapp, which would require employers to keep jobs open, although it offers no compensation to cover the cost of replacement staff.

Colonel Foote said that law might see employers reluctant to give Territorials jobs in the first place.

His preferred option was for the Government to run a marketing and eduction programme for employers, backed up with proposals similar to the current parental leave laws.

Colonel Foote's survey found that pressure from employers was the most common factor influencing people to leave the forces.

Last month, Brigadier Tim Brewer, the highest-ranking officer in the Territorials, said most of the volunteer soldiers he had spoken to in East Timor had been forced to quit their jobs.

The public service was generally no better than private employers, said Brigadier Brewer.

Territorial force numbers had fallen to their lowest levels in many decades.

Twenty-five years ago the force was 6000 strong, but now the effective strength was down to 1200.

More than 100 members of the Territorial Force are serving as peacekeepers in the troubled former Indonesian province.

- NZPA