Ginger Beer,
your letter was in the RAF News dated 12 May 2006 in 'Have Your Say' on Page 16. For those who do not keep Pravda to refer back to. I enclose the full letter and reply, including 'the only one m in Non-Commissioned' by Sqn Ldr X
‘A fundamental inequality’
EQUAL opportunity is a well used phrase within the RAF. It is pivotal to our ethos and quite rightly so.
With this in mind I would like to bring to your attention an inequality within our pay and conditions between officer aircrew and non-commissioned aircrew - or NCA.
An officer who is paid in accordance with the Professional Aviator Spine (PAS), has the advantage of being able to achieve a certain incremental pay level regardless of them being promoted; i.e. given the requisite number of years on the pay spine, if a flight lieutenant pilot joins the PAS, they will achieve the highest incremental level even if they do not get promoted to squadron leader and beyond. Their pay is decoupled from rank in accordance with AP3392 Volume 2, leaflet 1810, paragraph 5.
NCA on the PAS are only able to achieve certain incremental pay levels which are based purely on their rank.
This contradicts AP3392 Volume 2, leaflet 1811, paragraph 5, which details the PAS with regards to non-commissioned aircrew.
Paragraph 5 states quite clearly, as it does with our commissioned brethren, that: "the PAS has only one pay range, where rank and pay have been decoupled".
I, therefore, do not understand why non-commissioned aircrew are only able to achieve the higher incremental pay levels of the NCA PAS if they are subsequently promoted?
How can the AP state that "rank and pay have been decoupled" if you have to get promoted to a higher rank to achieve higher pay?
Perhaps I am a cynic and expect the answer will be removal of that sentence from the Air Publication; however, there would still remain a fundamental inequality between the two pay spines.
Name and address withheld on request.
Official reply - The Professional Aviator Pay Spine (PAS) was introduced on April 1, 2003 for commissioned aircrew. The principle underpinning the introduction of the PAS was that pay and rank are decoupled and personnel will rise by an Increment each year regardless of rank.
There are however, bars to progression for commissioned aircrew based on their sub-specialisation.
On April 1, 2004, following the recommendations of the Airmen Aircrew Sustainability Study, non-comissioned aircrew were allowed to access the PAS although the bar associated with progression was based on rank rather than sub-specialisation.
The rank-associated bars were imposed to reflect the different terms of service between non-comissioned aircrew and commissioned aircrew.
Non-comissioned aircrew are currently selected for the PAS at the 22-year point whereby the vast majority are likely to be either flight sergeant or master aircrew rank and therefore near or at the top of the non-commissioned rank structure.
Commissioned aircrew currently enter the PAS at their 38/18 point at either flight lieutenant or, in some cases, squadron leader rank.
To provide them with an incentive, to serve to age 55, while still, in most cases, a junior officer, pay and rank on the PAS were decoupled.
Equally, whereas non-comissioned aircrew can attain the top of the non-commissioned rank structure while remaining on the PAS and attract the pension benefits associated with this, commissioned aircrew must leave the PAS on promotion to wing commander.
The first sentence of AP3392 Volume 2, leaflet 1811, paragraph 5 refers specifically to the PAS as a whole - the remainder of the paragraph clarifies the rules for non-comissioned aircrew serving on the PAS.
Sqn Ldr Name withheld by Circle Kay for posting on PPRUNE, S02 additional pay and pensions policy (RAF).
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