Armed Forces Pay Freeze

[StrictlyTory]

Well I think it's been confirmed that the AF will also suffer the same pay freeze, even though both parties involved said they wouldn't....

It does make me mad as DH announced he cannnot come home this weekend as he is on call... just like he was last weekend so we won't actually have seen him for a solid 2 weeks as they moved him to somewhere 3 hours away where they currently have no MQ's.

We also went to visit a friend of his last weekend who has just left SO hosp after 9 months.... He is now in a wheelchair amoungst a lot of other things.

How can they really compare a job like this to the vastly overpaid civil service officed jobs they were supposed to be cutting back on.

It makes me so mad that they pretend to DH and all the others that they really 'understand' and 'appriciate' that the job they do is well out of the ordinary but then they put the boot in!

I am a civil servant and predict much bigger pension contributions from April 2011.

SOH Not ideal for your dh, that's tough. When dh was in Afghan for 9 months he averaged 18 hour days every day.

Scary I don't know how re CEA but there are a fair few still on the fiddle.

I've not see anything official, but DH (army) came home from work on Wednesday and said that they had been told they were getting a pay freeze.

To be fair, they have doubled the operational allowance so I suppose that covers the Afghan stresses and most public services are currently overworked and overstretched.

I'm not holding out much hope that CEA is around when my DC are old enough! But we are depending on DH's pension when/if he leaves. I've had to leave a very well paid reliable job, because I wanted to be with my husband and family while we are moved around and felt reassured by his pension for our future, so in that respect the armed forces is different to most other public services in that it is more a way of life than just a job.

Feeling a bit down about it here too! Think it will be about this time next year we really start to feel the pain of it.
We're in a new MQ so yet to see how this one fares up in winter. Our last MQ was damp, cold and uninsulated. We spent spupid ££££££ on heating and never actually felt warm.

DH has done 23 years but has another 5 to go and although we have been saving for years into our "house fund"(since we stupidly sold just before the boom) we were hoping in the next 5 years to really ramp it up by cutting back on a few more things amongst ourselves - looks like we will be cutting back anyway and seeing nothing for it.

Also, wondering about the CEA - we claim it. TBH - the way I am feeling atm (purely selfish reasons - I am missing the DC), I would not be too gutted if they stopped CEA, just dont think the DC would be too impressed - they love their school.

I am quite nervouse about this review in the autumn tbh, but hey what will be will be, not alot we can do about it. The Armed Forces cannot even go on strike if they dont like whats dished out like BA staff!

Just found this on Arrse....(yeah I know, but the Army are funny).

KEY POINTS:

? As part of the Government's Emergency Budget today, 22 June 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a two year pay freeze from 2011-2012 for public sector workers, except for those earning £21K or less, who will see a pay rise of at least £250 in these years.

? This measure applies to both Service and Civilian personnel and affects most of the public sector. It is designed to generate savings in order to reduce the national deficit.

? The recently announced measure to double the Operational Allowance remains to recognise members of the Armed Forces who are serving in operational theatres.

? The Department will now work closely with the Treasury and the Cabinet Office on the freeze on our pay structures and other elements of remuneration. Further details will follow once we have worked through these implications, such as how the freeze may apply to charges for Service personnel and performance pay for civilian personnel.

? The Budget also announced two reviews to report next year; one on public sector pensions led by the former Defence Secretary John Hutton and a second, led by Will Hutton, on fairness in public sector pay.

? It has already been made clear that the third year of the civilian pay award will be paid in August 2010 along with performance awards for the reporting year 2009/10. In addition this will not impact on the 2010/11 Armed Forces' Pay Review Body award of 2 per cent for military personnel announced on 10 March 2010.

DETAIL:

1. This two year pay freeze from 2011-12 will apply to the Civil Service, and workforces with Pay Review Bodies: the Armed Forces, doctors and dentists, NHS Agenda for Change, teachers, senior staff, and prisons.

1. While pay will be frozen for two years for those earning more than £21K, the Government will ask the Pay Review Bodies to make recommendations on pay for those earning below this threshold, with a minimum payment of £250.

1. We are awaiting guidance from HM Treasury and Cabinet Office about the implications of the freeze for civilian staff from August 2011.

Public Service Pensions

1. The Chancellor has also announced that John Hutton will chair an Independent Public Service Pensions Commission. The commission will conduct a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision and will report by Budget 2011. The Commission will also produce an interim report by the end of September 2010 considering the case for short-term savings within the Spending Review period, consistent with the Government's commitment to protect those on low incomes.

Senior Pay

1. The Government has asked Will Hutton to lead a review of fairness in public sector pay, reporting back in the Spring. The Fair Pay Review will make recommendations on how we can ensure that no public sector manager is paid more than 20 times the pay of the lowest paid person in their organisation. The SSRB will continue with its work to develop benchmark pay for senior managers across the public sector.

Military Pay and Charges

1. Annual Increments. Annual increments for Service personnel are not affected by the freeze and where Service personnel are entitled to progression up the incremental scale they will continue to receive it.

1. Charges. The effect of the pay freeze on charges applied to the pay of Service Personnel has not yet been determined. This will be considered further in advance of April 11 when any changes would normally take effect.

1. VAT Change. The increase in the rate of VAT announced in the emergency budget will result in an increase to the Entitled Casual Meal Charge from 4 January 2011.

SUBJECT CONTACT
Commodore S J Woodcock (DCDS Head of Pay, Allowances and Manning and Pam Titchmarsh, DCP-EF PMRR DH