I know some people on this thread have announced that in these times of recession we shouldn't be getting a pay rise, we are well paid enough, etc... Well, leaving that particular discussion aside for now, and assuming we do get a pay rise, consider this possible scenario:
Last year the AFPRB report was released on Thurs 7 Feb, the equivalent day this year would have been yesterday. Nothing heard so far, not in itself unusual.
However, consider this. The AFPRB, and most public sector pay bodies, use the September inflation figure when taking inflation into account in their deliberations. However, inflation has been falling quite rapidly recently. The next inflation results are due to be announced on 17 Feb. Could the government be waiting until after 17 Feb before announcing the pay award they will actually make in order to make it seem better.
For example, say on Feb 17 the headline inflation figure is now 1.5%, government announce a 1.75% rise for the armd forces, trumpeting it as "...another above inflation pay rise for our valued armed services...". Convieniently ignoring the fact that inflation has been higher than 1.75% for most of the year.
I wouldn't put it past the "spin doctors" of this government. Any thoughts?