25%+ cut in allowances!
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4321
No link, but the short version is for everyone everywhere it is about £19.50 a day, £1 less for sac and cpls, £1 more for wg cdr and above. Extra £1-something for each child.
No link, but the short version is for everyone everywhere it is about £19.50 a day, £1 less for sac and cpls, £1 more for wg cdr and above. Extra £1-something for each child.
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AL R,
Diplomats get Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance to compensate them for the issues you outline. Military personnel get the X-factor.
Details of DSCA here Departmental Pay: 18 Nov 2010: Written answers and statements (TheyWorkForYou.com)
X-factor= The X-Factor is a percentage increase to basic pay, which reflects the difference between the conditions of service experienced by members of the Armed Forces and conditions in civilian life, which cannot directly be taken into account by the job evaluation process. The X-Factor compensates for such things as, for example, being subject to military discipline, liability for duty at all times, the inability to resign at will, change jobs or negotiate pay, and the danger, turbulence and separation which are part of Service life. The X-Factor also considers some of the advantages of being in the Services, such as travel, adventure, the chance to learn a trade, variety, leave and job security.
Please not the Xfactor wording isn't mine, i lifted from a website
Adminblunty
Diplomats get Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance to compensate them for the issues you outline. Military personnel get the X-factor.
Details of DSCA here Departmental Pay: 18 Nov 2010: Written answers and statements (TheyWorkForYou.com)
X-factor= The X-Factor is a percentage increase to basic pay, which reflects the difference between the conditions of service experienced by members of the Armed Forces and conditions in civilian life, which cannot directly be taken into account by the job evaluation process. The X-Factor compensates for such things as, for example, being subject to military discipline, liability for duty at all times, the inability to resign at will, change jobs or negotiate pay, and the danger, turbulence and separation which are part of Service life. The X-Factor also considers some of the advantages of being in the Services, such as travel, adventure, the chance to learn a trade, variety, leave and job security.
Please not the Xfactor wording isn't mine, i lifted from a website
Adminblunty
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
AB, the NI/Pension compensation for the FCO would appear to be the biggest difference for spouses. How are Service wives treated?
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Not looking for sympathy (Ok it's in the dictionary beyween s*** and syphillis) just adding fact to the fires. Found out today that I will lose nearly 50% of my allowances - and that's supposed to be sustainable, living in a place where we don't get tax-free fuel, beer is £10 per pint, £30 for a haircut and a mortgage required to have the car serviced. Something's not quite right somewhere.
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It's not right at all, it's a simple pay cut of, as I've said on a previous post, about 41% (removing CEA from the equation)
They had to find the money somewhere, and those of us on supposed sunshine tours are the easiest target. We are dispersed and invisible to the public at home with no right of redress. The fact that the loa is there as a necessity for daily living has not even been looked at.
It would be far more logical to cut, or remove, the bonus troops get for being in Afghanistan. That is a sweetener, not there because you need the money to live. But can you imagine the media response - it'd be spectacular!
Before you all start, I don't think that should happen, but it is actually more logical.........
They had to find the money somewhere, and those of us on supposed sunshine tours are the easiest target. We are dispersed and invisible to the public at home with no right of redress. The fact that the loa is there as a necessity for daily living has not even been looked at.
It would be far more logical to cut, or remove, the bonus troops get for being in Afghanistan. That is a sweetener, not there because you need the money to live. But can you imagine the media response - it'd be spectacular!
Before you all start, I don't think that should happen, but it is actually more logical.........
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allowances
Found out today that I will lose nearly 50% of my allowances - and that's supposed to be sustainable, living in a place where we don't get tax-free fuel, beer is £10 per pint, £30 for a haircut and a mortgage required to have the car serviced. Something's not quite right somewhere.
CWD
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As a relatively recent posting to a remote USA location I can sympathize with a lot of the comments here; I too am finding it not that attractive to be here if you take into account that my wife is not able to bring in much of a salary.
Other high costs that we incur here that have not been mentioned yet are insurance for cars, home, etc. No credit rating means paying 3 or 4 times what the UK rate is and that is not for a fancy car.
Our LOA was cut in Dec 2010, and will go down again in May 2011. Not so bad for me losing £8 per day, others (esp if you have several kids) are hit a lot harder. As a flyer, in the UK we are provided with in-flight rations (not lobster thermador, but just a buttie box), there is no budget for it here so we have to provide that for ourselves (maybe £1000 cost over 3 years if you use $4 flight kitchen meal per trip). Not something I was concerned about 6 months ago but now it is all becoming a bit ****.
Please do not lump all USA postings (or overseas in general) into 'sunshine tours'; that might be the case on some non-deployable DC embassy job, but there are some of us who go to the sandy place regularly with our American friends for a long period.
Bring on the redundancy announcement.
Other high costs that we incur here that have not been mentioned yet are insurance for cars, home, etc. No credit rating means paying 3 or 4 times what the UK rate is and that is not for a fancy car.
Our LOA was cut in Dec 2010, and will go down again in May 2011. Not so bad for me losing £8 per day, others (esp if you have several kids) are hit a lot harder. As a flyer, in the UK we are provided with in-flight rations (not lobster thermador, but just a buttie box), there is no budget for it here so we have to provide that for ourselves (maybe £1000 cost over 3 years if you use $4 flight kitchen meal per trip). Not something I was concerned about 6 months ago but now it is all becoming a bit ****.
Please do not lump all USA postings (or overseas in general) into 'sunshine tours'; that might be the case on some non-deployable DC embassy job, but there are some of us who go to the sandy place regularly with our American friends for a long period.
Bring on the redundancy announcement.
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Admin Blunty,
Cheers for the reminder, I can see that (although hadn't considered it tbh). Reading the definition you supply, ’X compensates the Serviceman, not the family. It’s a bit of a blunt instrument - it doesn’t compensate or allow for the existanxce of a family. I don’t imagine it would (thinking about it), because then it would probably be seen as 'discriminatory' !
'X' is increased for Wing Commander, Group Captain and One Star ranks (most of whom are married - although I‘m sure that isn‘t the thinking behind that increase), so if there is rank based flexibility, why not family based flexibility? The camp follower giving up his/her career and income and traipsing overseas has in the past been tacitly accepted as being at least, partially compensated by LOA - and now that’s being compressed and slashed.. where is the offset? And will ‘X’ be compressed too? Or is that brief change in the banding going to be quietly overlooked? What is the reasoning for that anomaly, and is it still post SDSR-‘compliant‘?
The latte sippers will point to some obscure piece of EU-esque legislation that declares assisting families financially irrelevant, discriminatory and unlawful anyway - ho hum, and it would probably just create more dissent at a time where any more more division within the service is simply not needed. But given that more and more partners/spouses both work these days, is it the case, that at a time when more and more Service families are having to rely on two incomes, asking partnered SP to sacrifice a sizeable chunk of overall domestic financial security in pursuit of a singular overseas service needs and not only recognising that too (but also actually penalising that) is insensitive, ignorant and provocative?
Or have I missed the point? Or perhaps that is the point. Perhaps the ideological political maniacs, the obsequious civil servants and the weary (and impotent anyway) very senior hierarchy are all pax on the same disconnected comet’s tail now and target fixation has set in. The lunatics have finally taken over etc. Putting a positive spin on the first post redundancy Continuous Attitude Survey is going to be copywriter's wet dream though. Imagine the Screamer.
Cheers for the reminder, I can see that (although hadn't considered it tbh). Reading the definition you supply, ’X compensates the Serviceman, not the family. It’s a bit of a blunt instrument - it doesn’t compensate or allow for the existanxce of a family. I don’t imagine it would (thinking about it), because then it would probably be seen as 'discriminatory' !
'X' is increased for Wing Commander, Group Captain and One Star ranks (most of whom are married - although I‘m sure that isn‘t the thinking behind that increase), so if there is rank based flexibility, why not family based flexibility? The camp follower giving up his/her career and income and traipsing overseas has in the past been tacitly accepted as being at least, partially compensated by LOA - and now that’s being compressed and slashed.. where is the offset? And will ‘X’ be compressed too? Or is that brief change in the banding going to be quietly overlooked? What is the reasoning for that anomaly, and is it still post SDSR-‘compliant‘?
The latte sippers will point to some obscure piece of EU-esque legislation that declares assisting families financially irrelevant, discriminatory and unlawful anyway - ho hum, and it would probably just create more dissent at a time where any more more division within the service is simply not needed. But given that more and more partners/spouses both work these days, is it the case, that at a time when more and more Service families are having to rely on two incomes, asking partnered SP to sacrifice a sizeable chunk of overall domestic financial security in pursuit of a singular overseas service needs and not only recognising that too (but also actually penalising that) is insensitive, ignorant and provocative?
Or have I missed the point? Or perhaps that is the point. Perhaps the ideological political maniacs, the obsequious civil servants and the weary (and impotent anyway) very senior hierarchy are all pax on the same disconnected comet’s tail now and target fixation has set in. The lunatics have finally taken over etc. Putting a positive spin on the first post redundancy Continuous Attitude Survey is going to be copywriter's wet dream though. Imagine the Screamer.
WOW!! Proof we're still the best and still on course folks. A whopping 81.4% of all officers surveyed, declared they were either still proud to serve in the 'finest' Air Force in the UK, or grateful* to be still serving.
*Following exhaustive research, 'gratitude' has finally been included as a key performance indicator incentivisor; universally recognised within Whitehall to be linked to performing in a professional, diligent and cost effective manner.
*Following exhaustive research, 'gratitude' has finally been included as a key performance indicator incentivisor; universally recognised within Whitehall to be linked to performing in a professional, diligent and cost effective manner.
Jlider and AL-R,
Thanks for the posts. I think that we accept that the days of 'sunshine' or 'well done!' tours are over; but with that will have to go compulsion to post people abroad. Most of the RAF posting (sorry, hun, Assignments) there is a degree of wiggle room with Manning staffs; not so for the 20,000-odd Army pers in western Germany. I mean, how are they going to pay for those 48" plasmas, the tax-free BMWs and CSA payments?
Spousal employment remains a very thorny point. At larger overseas locations (eg NATO formations, PJOBs) there is some scope for LEC employment on base or in support units. In isolated & diplomatic postings, especially where English is not lingua franca there is practically no opportunities for spouses/civil partners (for the latte sippers - good term, by the way). This is why the FCO did directly compensates spouses for loss of income and NI payments etc. OK, some spouses are able to run internet-based businesses - after all, all you need is a broadband connection and access to premium rate lines...oh, no, I now see the flaw in the argument. 'Modern' broad band stops at Dover...
The big question is, what is there to do about it? Mrs WP has written to our MP; she did over Nimrod, so that worked.
Thanks for the posts. I think that we accept that the days of 'sunshine' or 'well done!' tours are over; but with that will have to go compulsion to post people abroad. Most of the RAF posting (sorry, hun, Assignments) there is a degree of wiggle room with Manning staffs; not so for the 20,000-odd Army pers in western Germany. I mean, how are they going to pay for those 48" plasmas, the tax-free BMWs and CSA payments?
Spousal employment remains a very thorny point. At larger overseas locations (eg NATO formations, PJOBs) there is some scope for LEC employment on base or in support units. In isolated & diplomatic postings, especially where English is not lingua franca there is practically no opportunities for spouses/civil partners (for the latte sippers - good term, by the way). This is why the FCO did directly compensates spouses for loss of income and NI payments etc. OK, some spouses are able to run internet-based businesses - after all, all you need is a broadband connection and access to premium rate lines...oh, no, I now see the flaw in the argument. 'Modern' broad band stops at Dover...
The big question is, what is there to do about it? Mrs WP has written to our MP; she did over Nimrod, so that worked.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Grateful applies to those who just got into the revolving door off the street. Proud applies to those who haven't got out of the lobby yet.
The rest are either pre-pensioners in the waiting room or in the queue at the door waiting to get out.
The rest are either pre-pensioners in the waiting room or in the queue at the door waiting to get out.
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HTD Overseas
Apologies for dragging this old thread up for another allowances whinge but.....
I was told this week that all personnel serving overseas from the 1 May will have to submit a monthly claim for manual HTD and will not be paid HTD automatic as everybody else is in the UK.
Does anybody know why or understand why somebody has made this distinction? We're already facing an increase in the personal mileage contribution and although I've not yet worked it out, I guess the new system will not result in an increase in my monthly pay!
I was told this week that all personnel serving overseas from the 1 May will have to submit a monthly claim for manual HTD and will not be paid HTD automatic as everybody else is in the UK.
Does anybody know why or understand why somebody has made this distinction? We're already facing an increase in the personal mileage contribution and although I've not yet worked it out, I guess the new system will not result in an increase in my monthly pay!
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This is beginning to amount to a systematic theft from those who serve the most!
Those at Brize now face a myriad of Brize-created rules that, in some cases, go contrary to JSP752 to make the accountants' lives easier.
There is no book or reference for any of these petty rules and most aircrew that I know simply can't keep up with them - they either enter claim in good, honest faith then face huge recoveries or are put off from claiming in the first instance by others' tales of woe.
Totally and utterly wrong at any time, but especially given today's operational output produced by all.
Those at Brize now face a myriad of Brize-created rules that, in some cases, go contrary to JSP752 to make the accountants' lives easier.
There is no book or reference for any of these petty rules and most aircrew that I know simply can't keep up with them - they either enter claim in good, honest faith then face huge recoveries or are put off from claiming in the first instance by others' tales of woe.
Totally and utterly wrong at any time, but especially given today's operational output produced by all.
Last edited by Uncle Ginsters; 14th May 2011 at 10:18.
Those at Brize now face a myriad of Brize-created rules that, in some cases, go contrary to JSP752 to make the accountants' lives easier.
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Care to share any examples?
This would, of course, send all receipts and paperwork back to Accts Flt. They're not manned for it so the 'customer' ends up footing the leg-work. It would also mean that we use GPCs more which creates more admin for Admin Wg (perhaps that's why they changes the name?!?).
The reality - if we use GPCs for almost anything we're slapped with a 30% "admin" charge and face a recovery.
Of course, that particular example would not work in all cases, but that's what it caters for.
I'd love to quote every instance, but i can't...that's exactly my point! The vast majority have lost the plot when it comes to these home-grown rules and so either don't claim or get heavily slapped at the end of the month.
Times are hard, but IMNSHO, Base Support Wg now fail to support the Base's operations effectively, or JPA won't allow them to.
Last edited by Uncle Ginsters; 14th May 2011 at 12:05.
Brize are not allowing any self-cert or recompense if receipts are lost, additionally the use of vending machines is now not allowed - often the only source of bottled water.
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I make a lot of JPA claims due to the nature of my job. I have no issues with the formal audit process especially as you are notified immediately after pressing 'send'.
However I now know of 2 peers who have had a follow up notice of an entire years claims being audited, one of them was notified 3 days before deploying OOA. Added to this, my Sqn admin office wish to scrutinise and locally audit claims with notification usually several months after they were claimed. By this time receipts are in the receipt jungle or have bleached to plain white. I now photocopy all my receipts in case I get the years worth audit surprise but for sure the whole process is becoming very nauseous.
However I now know of 2 peers who have had a follow up notice of an entire years claims being audited, one of them was notified 3 days before deploying OOA. Added to this, my Sqn admin office wish to scrutinise and locally audit claims with notification usually several months after they were claimed. By this time receipts are in the receipt jungle or have bleached to plain white. I now photocopy all my receipts in case I get the years worth audit surprise but for sure the whole process is becoming very nauseous.
Allowances in the JPA era...
Let's face it we have an allowances system that is perfect if you're a blunty (pardon my vernacular) who is going away from your home base in the UK for one night. You pay for it yourself and you get reimbursed very quickly (provided you supply receipts).
What the system doesn't cater for is large groups of people (let's call that group a Squadron or even just a crew) going overseas (be that operational or not) and staying there for a prolonged period.
Remind me what the job of the RAF is again?
Haven't we done well.
BV
What the system doesn't cater for is large groups of people (let's call that group a Squadron or even just a crew) going overseas (be that operational or not) and staying there for a prolonged period.
Remind me what the job of the RAF is again?
Haven't we done well.
BV
