.....not forgetting that NEM has removed an increment level........

I would be happy for the AFPRB to remove the 1-2 year waiting before starting the increment process, they can keep the 1%.

RPI for 2003 was 2.8% so just inflation busting for officers & SNCOs, a little better for ORs.

Which is exactly what is happening. Rumours are that the aircrew branch will be in deficit by a few hundred by 2020 - and that is before all the quarters get allegedly sold off in 2021 when the Annington Homes contract matures!!!

Didn't the recent Future Accommodation Model result suggest that there was limited desire to live on base by choice? IIRC, living in a military community, what I understood to mean living in base, wasn't rated particularly highly which may just encourage the MOD to divest as much of their housing stock as they can. It will probably be a bit like PAYD, with the MOD saying they asked and were responding to personnels' comcerns/wishes.

Also, am I right in thinking that whilst pay and allowances move by wage growth / CPI, charges move by RPI? Am sure I read that somewhere recently, just can't quite place it.

However you overlooked the devil in the detail that the MoD missed.

By removing free food and accommodation and increasing pay and introducing charges they made 'food and accommodation' optional and massively increased the pension base.

The AFPRB are due to publish their report next week. All I can say is they better be thinking ahead because give it 3/5 years and there will be a lot less pilots than they expect.

Aye, it was a good year to leave as my pension was based on the 2003 salary.

Given that mil salaries are now quoted separately as 'core salary' & 'XFactor' (at 14.5%) could we perhaps see the 1% government approved rise applied to the former with a similar reduction in the latter (fewer operational detachments, more stable basing with consequently less upheaval to housing, schooling & spouse employment etc) resulting in a net zero change to the pay bill?

:ugh:Ken, if you think folks are going away less you are mistaken. A colleague of mine on the helo force is out of the country for 9 months this year on various exercises and detachments; because they are not classed as 'ops' he gets absolutely no PODL and has been told he will get one day off for the first 6 weekends missed.

I most certainly do not believe that, but public perception Post Herrick & Telic would support that notion and the AFPRB, at government bidding, might put that forward in my opinion - why else has pay been so sub-divided?

Ken Scott.

I can see your point and the military have previous in this regard. RRP (Flying) used to be called flying pay. When you PVR'd you kept it. The change in nomenclature to RRP went mostly unnoticed until a couple of years later when they announced that when you PVR you will lose a large chunk of your RRP since you are no longer being retained.

They are devious gits and nothing is done without reason.

I hope you're wrong though.

BV

Indeed, some have withdrawn their services because of that very issue for the last year. I know of at least two or three that were flying in Afghan without flying pay, and at least one who grounded himself. Turns out it left him with a lot of time to prepare for pastures new!

Ken, the fact that you don't believe me is irrelevant as it is actually the case. Similarly your perception that because ops have reduced folks are not being dicked about and are spending significant amounts of time away from their families is also irrelevant. Perception and reality are not the same thing.

Jumping Jack: you misunderstand me. I don't Disbelieve you. There are still plenty of operational deployments, particularly for rotary. My comment, 'I certainly don't believe that' referred to your first line, 'if you think folks are going away less...'!

My point was that public perception is that deployments are far fewer than during Herrick & Telic and that it was matters in this regard.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong but as BV points out they like to sneak these subtle changes in until folk are used to them before delivering the bombshell, maybe not this year, but........

I believe that the way pay is shown is a direct result of the recent pay re-structure (Not so relevant for Officers as they're all on the same regradless of branch). For ORs the supplement you are on has a core value depending on how well/badly your trade scored and x-factor is then added.

As for the proposed pay freeze by removing 1% of X-Factor, it wouldn't be as:
1% of £30,000 (core pay) = £300
14.5% of £30,000 = £4350 then 1% = £43.50

£300-£43.5= £256.5 pay rise instead of £300 (an actual .86% pay rise instead of 1%).

Now we know the date to bury any bad pay news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39325561

I never suggested the figure of 1% off the XFactor, I said 'similar', it would need about a 1.13% reduction to cancel out.

No news is just....no news.
 

Has anyone seen anything yet? Was convinced (by various personnel) that today was the day. I wonder if there is a last minute change?

Maybe the chairman needs time to bed in, oops, I meant member.

Armed Forces' Pay Review Body Appointment:Written statement - HCWS438 - UK Parliament