LOA is going down, blame the babysitter
Read in the RAF News that LOA is going to be reduced by about 20% to 25%.
The reasoning behind the cut is that people overseas do not use babysitters as much as they used to! Defies me.
Let's take Cyprus as an example. Many wives / husbands leave good, well paid jobs to follow their other half, thus imposing an immediate financial restriction on many families. (both with and without children). It also has a big effect on the finances of single airmen / women / officers.
Since 2002, Cyprus has seen massive increases in the price of fuel, VAT, domestic goods, food etc. (e.g. Fuel for cars and heating has more than doubled. Before anyone has a go about heating, it gets bl@@dy cold throughout winter)
Couple the above with a poor exchange rate ( £1 Uk = C£0.82),along with the cost of living becoming significantly higher than the UK, I believe LOA should be going up, not down in accordance with the relative cost of living.
In essence, even though it is a fantastic posting, the financial constraints on families is enough already without worsening their quality of life via LOA reduction.
The lack of jobs for dependants is also dire. If they are lucky to get a job, it is a paltry wage. (C£2 p h, any takers?)
Could this be why many couples / families break up in Cyprus?
With a cut in LOA, I fear the situation will degenerate further.
Thoughts please.
Exleckie.