[QUOTE=Ken Scott;10174489]
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I wonder if there’s any substance to a rumour I heard mid-week that it’s now going to be very late in the year before any announcement and speculation that X-factor and increments are being argued about again?
/QUOTE]
Ever since they started quoting pay statements in the form ‘basic pay + X factor’ I’ve been suggesting that this is a precursor to reducing the latter (fewer operations, more stability of postings etc as the excuse). I raised it with some of the AFPRB a while ago, I was assured that X factor had never been reduced and there was no intention to do so......
Indeed, I can almost see a scenario where under NEM, as you point out, a 5 year posting or maybe flexible working disqualifies you from the full X-factor. In effect, extending FTRS terms to NEM, where the only people qualifying for it being those who are happy to be buggered around by the system just because it can - because that’s the rationale behind the X-factor.
But a word of warning. We are doing more with less. What used to be the thrashing of an deployed ops tempo is now routine day to day business. Strip out X-factor and pay only basic rate, people will walk because they will be able to earn far more at that rate for less hassle. It would also further erode pensions given that X-factor is pensionable.
Current serving personnel will just not tolerate a 14.5% pay cut with all its implications. The only way I can see any sub radical move working was by introducing it under the new joiner offer so only those joining up on new joiner Ts&Cs are affected. But for all our virtue signalling on equality, such a move would seem to be a fairly selective application of equality principles.