2.6 %

[insty66]

Agreed but most of those in jobs that don’t go away are well happy. It is quite easy to get an exchange to a Sqn if you try hard.
True to a point but it will still leave someone doing a less turbulent job

Not sure what you mean – have you done 4000 days away? No, what I meant was the top rate is roughly £26 per day, not enough as we both agree

Agreed again, but it is a whole lot easier than being a Liney or crew – if not policy makers and office jobbers would all be applying to get back on Sqns. These days how many guys in engine bays/ ASFs or neat little posts at Wyton are trying to get back.Not all I agree but those jobs do need doing and if everyone wanted to be on front line, someone would be "punished for doing the other jobs.

You know the attitude from those that don’t do the duties – not their problem and they don’t really care.Agreed but I bloody hate it we're not harsh enough in our SJAR I believe


However in conclusion would you agree that just because they are subject to the same rules as everybody else, the ones that don’t want a hard career job, the ones that are quite happy to sit in a bay somewhere, the ones that will fight a posting because their wife has a professional career (when other wives don’t) the ones that will use their kids as an excuse not to be posted when others go with the flow, should get the same money as the few that do abide by the rules.Which is why I've never thought the policy of minimum disruption a good one max tour of 5 years seems reasonable to me.

I will never forget the WO from Innsworth during a road show at RAF Bruggen:

Hypocritical ****.

I was at Bruggen then too and met the said individual and you've summed him up well.


I take your point but as someone who hates pay 2001 I firmly believe that everyone of the same rank and trade should be paid the same, I despise the "in rank" increment and would have preferred to see an extension of the length of service increments that we used to have.

Back on track, the pay deal is better than I thought but I was disappointed by the small increase in x-factor I know the aggravating factors the Army suffer have increased by more than 1% in the past 5 or so years!

[Door Slider]

SRENNAPS

"The point that I was trying to make is that the majority of personnel in the RAF (and believe me there is an Air Force outside of the SH world) are still in sleepy 8-5 jobs and they have been there for many, many years. Why should they get the same benefits as those who are working their nuts off?"



I understand what you are trying to say, and to an extent I agree. I dont think the "majority" of people are in sleepy do nothing jobs, but yes there are a few. My issue is this, these jobs are essential to the RAF for stability. I dont want to spend 15 years on SH spending 4-6 months away continously, there has to be "fringe, support" jobs for people who NEED to get a breather and re-couperation. What annoys me are the people who "bedblock" these posts for many years for lame excuses when other people could be getting some valuable rest.

As said already, SH, AT, and many others are deserving of the X-factor increase, can you really not award the RAF the rise because of a people in sleepy hollow jobs, jobs thats still need to be done? Thats the beauty of LSA and Op Alloance, the people that deserve it, get it

[The Dodger]

This pay rise is not great, however it could have been worse. Alot of folks at my place of work got the pay scales and happiness ensued for a short while. That was until somebody got hold of the rest of the report. For all the crap we have gone through recently the report kind of pissed a few folks off, especially those who live in SFA. I don't really care anymore as i am out in just over a month. However it really annoys me to see the goverment spinning the pay rise to Joe public while on the other hand raising food and accomodation charges again to, more or less, cancel it out. What kind of message does that send to the masses in blue suits. Gordon Brown, your a .

[Roland Pulfrew]

The point that I was trying to make is that the majority of personnel in the RAF are still in sleepy 8-5 jobs and they have been there for many, many years.

SRENNAPS

I am not convinced you are correct here. On recent visits to a couple of stations I have been stunned by the number of junior personnel who are now wearing campaign medals. These guys and gals are across all trades and branches, and many of the non-aircrew trades now have more "campaign time" than a lot of their aircrew colleagues (SH excluded). They may not have to go downtown and patrol the streets but they still get rocketed and mortared on base.

Why should they get the same benefits as those who are working their nuts off?

Because whilst there are those working their nuts off in sunnier climes, those that are in the Uk wil have to pick up the workload of those in sunnier climes and they will get their turn to go to sunnier climes as well. I think the days of never doing an OOA are over for the vast majority, if not all, of the branches and trades.

[Al R]

Is this an issue of divide and rule?

Hell, whatever happened to there being only ONE team? When I joined up, I knew damned well that I could expect to spend time away, and I consequently did - some years I was away for 6-9 months routinely. I whinged, but I didn't whinge at others. I knew what I had joined up to do.

Nowadays, we are so much more willing to shout out if we're hacked off with something. The fact is, the MoD is operating to economic constraints imposed by the g'ment, and there's nothing it can do about it. I sometimes wonder.. if the pay rise was 3.1%, would people still be bitching for 3.3%?

[Pure Pursuit]

SRENNAPS,

you obviously have tunnel vision within your SH world.

I don't think you will find anyone outside of SH, who will knock what you guys are doing & the pace at which you are doing it however, you must bear in mind that the majority of the RAF is working hard (perhaps not as hard as you) in order to keep this train from derailling.

As Roland Pulfrew stated in his post, there are plenty of young airmen and airwomen wearing campaign medals doing different things & it very unfair of you to tar them all with the same brush. Some of the youngsters I work with have done 2-3 tours, some 6 months in duration, and they are all prepared to go out and do it again.

I for one am rather proud of some of the airmen I have working around me.

[White Noise]

X factor only for those who go away OOA gets my vote. wasn't too long ago when when i was sat on another regiment day when the rock asked if anyone hadn't done a OOA or Det. Imagine the faces when a wrinkly sqn ldr was one to put up his hand, and his respirator was 8 years out of date ! I could name a few who have wangled excuses or changed hospital appointments to get out of thier first OOA in 10 years or so...

[insty66]

Is this an issue of divide and rule?

Judging by White Noises post most definitely!

Limited x factor goes against the grain in my book!

Whack LSA up to higher levels and a lot less hospital appointments will get changed.

Once you have done over ten years of your life (4001 days) served away from home, you get compensated with just over £26 per day, not even half good enough in my book.

[Vage Rot]

Originally Posted by FATTERGATOR

At this rate I'm going to have to get myself promoted again

Just seen a white elephant in formation with a large winged pig pass over my pad near ISK - must be your promotion arriving FATTER old son!!

[Shadwell the old]

Hey Vage Rot,

What is an A400M doing flying in formation with a Varsity in the North of Scotland at that time of night?

Shadwell

PS Hope you are keeping well

[LooseArticle]

I agree with AED 24 - there's plenty to whinge about and no pay rise is ever going to be good enough for some. If you're not happy in the round you should leave - after all, in many trades and branches that's what the RAF wants (so be careful what you wish for).

After you've left you could get pay rises like other public servants, ie, a lot worse than ours - pay rises of less than 2.5% on wages far lower than ours = peanuts.

Alternatively, you could get one of those high pressure city jobs where you earn loads and get big bonuses. Sadly, there aren't many of those about and next year, with the econmy in tatters like it is under this Labour lot, there may be no bonuses and no 'fat cats' left in this country.

So take your pick - and don't be afraid to make a decision. Either recognise the positives of a secure(ish) career that makes a positive contribution to the world, or leave and go and get your big pay rise somewhere else..............if you can find it.

[TheInquisitor]

The point that I was trying to make is that the majority of personnel in the RAF (and believe me there is an Air Force outside of the SH world) are still in sleepy 8-5 jobs and they have been there for many, many years.

Bollocks. You obviously aren't (or weren't) in the same RAF that I am. Those to whom you refer are very, very few and far between. As are those who are 'unfit' to deploy.

After you've left you could get pay rises like other public servants, ie, a lot worse than ours - pay rises of less than 2.5% on wages far lower than ours = peanuts.

...OR, you could get a REAL job, not on TFSW*'s payroll, but in the wider Private Sector, where demands (and settlements) are beginning to be based on the more realistic RPI rate of inflation.

*TFSW=Tight Fisted Scottish W****r, a term redefined by the Brown/Browne administration...

[LooseArticle]

OR, you could get a REAL job, not on TFSW*'s payroll, but in the wider Private Sector, where demands (and settlements) are beginning to be based on the more realistic RPI rate of inflation.

TheInquisitor - as I said:

Alternatively, you could get one of those high pressure city jobs where you earn loads and get big bonuses. Sadly, there aren't many of those about and next year, with the econmy in tatters like it is under this Labour lot, there may be no bonuses and no 'fat cats' left in this country.

Also TheInquisitor, if you are in the RAF as you suggest, and you don't think you are doing a 'REAL job', then you really should leave and find something else to do.

[blogger]

Today from the BBC

UK unemployment fell by 61,000 to 1.61 million in the three months to the end of December, government figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in January fell by 10,800 to 794,600.
Average earnings rose at an annual rate of 3.8% in December, down slightly. The figures come amid signs that the UK economy is slowing down, and after the Bank of England recently cut its main interest rate to 5.25% from 5.5%.

So the RAF gets 2.6 %.............HAR HAR HAR...........

glad I put that PVR in.

[mutleyfour]

Blogger

glad I put that PVR in.

So am I.


Glad you put that PVR in.

[teeteringhead]

ScufferEng

HHmmmm... now let me see, most of the AFPRB are made up from retired Cols , and a few legal type buddies etc,

.....I don't think so ..... current AFPRB is:

Professor David Greenaway (Chairman)
Robert Burgin
Alison Gallico
Dr Peter Knight CBE
Professor Derek Leslie
Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Ian Stewart CB
Dr Anne Wright CBE

.... not toooo many retired colonels there, just one Harrier mate ......

[TheInquisitor]

Also TheInquisitor, if you are in the RAF as you suggest, and you don't think you are doing a 'REAL job', then you really should leave and find something else to do.

I'm doing a very real job, thank you...and have spent more time away than at home over the past 4 years or so.

I was referring to the huge swathe of public sector 'non-jobs' that suck the money out of the treasury nowadays...."5-a-day coordinator", anybody?