TOFO put it quite correctly. How about 3% rise in pay and allowances but all for the lower ranks so that a private/airman gets a big increase and then tapering off to nothing by the rank of WO? Good idea for recruitment? Commissioned ranks only for lowest 2/3 ranks and chnage T&C so that all have the same age/length of service to qualify for pension/retired pay.

Dental care is not a perk of the job. Medical and dental fitness is a requirement for us to be able to fulfill our task, thus in my view free dental is the least we should expect. I would also point out that as a serviceman who has actually moved around, the cost to myself having to pay private dental care for my wife and children because we can never find a NHS dentist more than penalises me for the small amount of dental care that I require.

One point most people seem to have missed is that "benefits" such as use of gym, free healthcare, dental and eyecare are not primarily designed to benefit the individual they are there because the Service requires that we are fit enough to deploy.
It would be nice to think they were available purely because they would be useful, but if that were the case then spouses/dependants would be entitled to the same healthcare/dental.
The reality however is keep a serviceperson fit and well you can use them as you see fit, hence the investment is neccessary.

TOFO, Sorry to go off topic from the thread but most reasonable size companies do offer health care as part of a package - they have to in order to remain competitive in very competitive world.

I totally agree though that many small businesses will not offer this kind of benefit as part of the package and also that any extra money/ benefits etc will have to come from somewhere. How about the social security budget?

Agree in principal, but it is not the JR's we are leaking, it is the SNCO/WO's who have all the corporate experience and have passed their IPP that are leaving in droves.
Whilst I would like to see the JR's get a pay rise, it's not much of an incentive for those we all depend on to make things happen, who are studying their hand and thinking of folding.