I know us CS types are easy targets, and god knows I've met enough of my counterparts to think some of them are utter w*nkers over the years. I've also met a very large number of RAF and other forces types who fill that box too - even today I had to deal with an RAF member whose rigid adherence to doctrine, unwillingness to think around the problem and whose insistence on incorrectly applying rules on the wrong situation nearly caused a minor diplomatic incident. But hey ho...
While it is easy to knock us CS types, I'd just note that right now we're going through an incredibly challenging period. One in three MOD civil servants is being made redundant. There has been no pay rise (and no pay scale progression either) for two years, and next year will at best see a 1% pay rise. This will mean that between 2010 and 2014, my salary will have increased by £370 at a time when inflation is vastly outstripping this.
There is no pay spine progression either, which means that peoples seniority in grade is not being acknowledged - can you imagine the outrage if the military were told that they were no longer moving up the pay spine each year?
Transfer allowances have all but been abolished, which means that to move jobs every 2-3 years as is expected, means I get zero support to change posts, and can expect to be either frozen on site, or thousands of pounds out of pocket if I have the audacity to want to try to progress my so-called career.
Add to that the fact my pension contributions have just gone up by 1.7%, which for me is effectively a £1K per year pay cut on top of the pay freeze and people are feeling very stretched right now - don't forget how low the average MOD salary is. 60% of MOD earns under £26K per year, which is less than most Cpls get on appointment.
To add insult to injury, we are publicly reviled by the media, made to feel ashamed and embarrased of who we are and what we do, and enjoy zero support. Large swathes of the armed forces, who allegedly pride themselves on being bastions of courtesy and decency, seem to go out of their way to insult, abuse and treat me and my co-workers like ****, simply because we don't all work in uniform full time, despite us working long hours with no overtime or support to keep the front line supported.
We have no public sympathy, no network of support and no cheerleaders. We are taking huge job cuts, huge real terms pay cuts and watch as our careers are being destroyed in front of us. I won't be striking as I don't belong to a union, but I hope people can understand that it is a really grim time to be a CS right now.