Here's another thought:
Most people I come across mutter things about having no pay increments added to basic pay to combat the inflation that happens year after year. If we are talking about knowing what we signed up for, I don't think there is anything in our contracts, 99 or 08 that states 'the payscale will be amended from time to time to reflect the percentage rise in inflation' unlike other things that are 'amended from time to time' at the company's discretion. As I see it in the contract, the payscales are fixed integers that do not change until a new contract is rolled out, but that isn't stopping anyone from thinking about the next step. I understand that the inflation has not come to a point where living standards are compromised and as such there has not been a push to have the payscales rearranged, but if it were, it would still constitute an effort to change contracts that we have already signed up for. So in essence, what is going on with the CEPs is much on the same lines. I personally don't believe that using semantics or synonyms makes any difference in this argument, housing, special allowance, call it what you want, but it's about bringing the CEP living standard and take home to be the same as the next guy. Thought processes on the subject may suffer fatal incompatabilities between different members on this forum but in the long run, why is it such an issue for some to see their colleagues make a push to make things better for themselves? What does that say about their character? Is it about making people toil and dreg through exactly what they had to go through to get to where they are, or should it be more about being able to do what they do, to be at the same standard? What is the ultimate goal for keeping the brother man down?