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-   -   UK Minister calls for pay increase for servicemen (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/609381-uk-minister-calls-pay-increase-servicemen.html)

gr4techie 2nd Jul 2018 13:01


Originally Posted by Lima Juliet (Post 10184988)
There are those that say that they get a rise then it is taken off with Quarter charges. Surely, moving out to your own home is the way to beat that? Even if you rent your house for what you pay for the Quarter, as long as you are on a repayment mortgage, you are still winning as the value of your property goes up?

The problem is when you're posted to Benson or Odiham, then the properties are ridiculous London prices.

The value of your property going up, is irrelevant if you can't find a buyer.

A quick search found the average price paid in Odiham was £525,015.

Jumping_Jack 3rd Jul 2018 07:48

Some people like to actually live with their spouse rather than see them for a day and a half a week. There is no way I could afford anything anywhere near here and it would mean selling up and moving every couple of years. We don't all have the luxury of spending an entire career at one base like many aircrew do.

Melchett01 4th Jul 2018 12:11

Latest rumour doing the rounds is that the pay announcement is being held up whilst highly contentious / controversial issues are argued out. Racking my tiny brain cell, does this mean further presssure on increments - or even pensions contributions? Surely not? Surely that would be politically far too difficult given the recent climate. Although, in all the recent public arguments, I don’t recall hearing anything about more cash for Defence to support personnel, once again it was all about equipment budgets being unaffordable. I think that 3% figure doing the rounds recently is looking less and less likely.

alfred_the_great 4th Jul 2018 13:12

MoD CS were today told that their rises were to be between 1 - 1.5%, and that the MoD had only budgeted for 1%, with any extra coming from elsewhere in the budget.

bunta130 4th Jul 2018 13:26

Frankly, I think you will have to deal with another below-inflation 'rise'........effectively the nth pay reduction in a row. I feel for you all.....having departed last year.

It will be interesting to see if there is any further effect on retention - I suspect not, as better the devil you know, plus lock-ins..... Until the Leadership sees material change and suffers consequences, it is unlikely to engage beyond hand-wringing....

VinRouge 4th Jul 2018 14:07


Originally Posted by bunta130 (Post 10188310)
Frankly, I think you will have to deal with another below-inflation 'rise'........effectively the nth pay reduction in a row. I feel for you all.....having departed last year.

It will be interesting to see if there is any further effect on retention - I suspect not, as better the devil you know, plus lock-ins..... Until the Leadership sees material change and suffers consequences, it is unlikely to engage beyond hand-wringing....

I think military aircrew outflow, particularly of the experienced sort who fall between the 70k flying pay FRI and not having accrued enough to warrant sticking around for PA, is about to go into turbo mode.

​​​​​Airline pay rise last 10 years has averaged 25% for those able to go in as SFO or even DEC. I find it all rather upsetting, alas, many will realise the only true loyalty worth working hard for is now your own family.

At a time they are about to pi$$ even more cash down the toilet on the NHS, I don't see how this will be recoverable for the forces. We will be reduced to a second rate air force whose primary role for The nation will be flying in medical supplies due the screw up that is BREXIT.

bunta130 4th Jul 2018 14:22

Vin

Frankly I find it as upsetting as you......and consider the current constraints no way to treat loyal public servants, particularly after politicians received a 'galling' pay rise on the recommendation of a truly unfettered independent review body. Nevertheless, it is what it is.......

I agree with your point on family, and accept the figures you quote for airline pay; however, I am unconvinced that outflow from the Forces will increase at an alarming enough rate for those in power to be galvanised into meaningful activity (it would have to endanger capability sufficiently for those at the top to look bad/ineffective). A ballsy move might be to refuse/reduce equipment upgrades in order to remunerate the Forces' most important asset (yes, that 'tired old soundbite').....however, not sure if that would be possible even if we had leaders with such cojones.

It is dispiriting in every respect.......and why the AFPRB actually bother is beyond me - pointless activity and a waste of resources in both its research and the follow-up station visits

Jumping_Jack 4th Jul 2018 15:38

Spot on Bunta. Motto for the modern Armed Forces 'Administrandi declines'

wokkamate 4th Jul 2018 16:31

2.5-3% is still the firm favourite MOD Main rumour, however a compensatory measure in pensions is also being rumoured. Perhaps that is the ‘contenscious issue’ that was mentioned above.....

Melchett01 4th Jul 2018 18:21


Originally Posted by wokkamate (Post 10188452)
2.5-3% is still the firm favourite MOD Main rumour, however a compensatory measure in pensions is also being rumoured. Perhaps that is the ‘contenscious issue’ that was mentioned above.....

Any pensions tinkering would be the final straw for many, and would lose leadership any credibility they have left given that AFPS 15 was a generational solution. I’m guessing from talking to people and hearing all the grumbling there’s the potential for double digit percentage resignations across the Forces if that happened, not a single ounce of goodwill remains between personnel and the MOD these days And that would be suicide for any ambition SoS might have.

downsizer 4th Jul 2018 18:23


Originally Posted by wokkamate (Post 10188452)
2.5-3% is still the firm favourite MOD Main rumour, however a compensatory measure in pensions is also being rumoured. Perhaps that is the ‘contenscious issue’ that was mentioned above.....

One hopes they don't further fuck with pensions.

I'd bet that if they have to claw back money it will be on X factor, Op All, CEA, etc, etc....

Lima Juliet 4th Jul 2018 19:27


however a compensatory measure in pensions is also being rumoured
The AFPRB do not do pension changes, so this has to be a bogus rumour. Armed Forces Pension Schemes are enshrined in UK Law and so changing pensions is a VERY big job (hence they do them sparingly 1975, 2005 and 2015 being the last 3). I had heard that they were looking at allowing personnel to bring forward their AFPS15 Early Departure Payment at the 20/40 point if they stayed in - again, this would need a significant change to the Scheme unless the measure is an interest free loan against the Pension Scheme? That would be about the only thing that the AFPRB could recommend in the report.

Melchett01 4th Jul 2018 19:39


Originally Posted by Lima Juliet (Post 10188599)


The AFPRB do not do pension changes, so this has to be a bogus rumour. Armed Forces Pension Schemes are enshrined in UK Law and so changing pensions is a VERY big job (hence they do them sparingly 1975, 2005 and 2015 being the last 3). I had heard that they were looking at allowing personnel to bring forward their AFPS15 Early Departure Payment at the 20/40 point if they stayed in - again, this would need a significant change to the Scheme unless the measure is an interest free loan against the Pension Scheme? That would be about the only thing that the AFPRB could recommend in the report.

LJ, you’re probably right about pensions not being in the report (I’ll only say probably as there’s no telling what this lot will do!), but for my money that can then only mean any other contentious issue would be something along the lines of increments, allowances or specialist pay.

Just This Once... 5th Jul 2018 06:31

LJ, I agree that at a pension change is unlikely, especially with the post-2015 pension board and whilst it is true that our pensions are set out in law in reality they can be changed with precious little legal effort. It would be marvellous if the scheme laws received normal parliamentary scrutiny but they bypass this process and are just signed-off by the minister under a Statutory Instrument.

Ken Scott 5th Jul 2018 21:49

Hard to see how pensions could be made contributory as pay is already abated by approximately 8% to allow for the ‘non-contribution’. There would need to be an adjusting pay rise first before contributions could be deducted.

Harley Quinn 6th Jul 2018 11:07


Originally Posted by Ken Scott (Post 10189702)
Hard to see how pensions could be made contributory as pay is already abated by approximately 8% to allow for the ‘non-contribution’. There would need to be an adjusting pay rise first before contributions could be deducted.

I think that little factor has been missed out of AFPRB reports for some years, thus it is seen as non-contributory by the treasury

Onceapilot 6th Jul 2018 16:36


Originally Posted by Harley Quinn (Post 10190079)
I think that little factor has been missed out of AFPRB reports for some years, thus it is seen as non-contributory by the treasury

Not quite. IMO, this is straight forward deceit by the MOD. MOD operate the "Armed Forces pension scheme" as a simple drain upon Defence spending from UKGov resources with no capital or payments from members. Therefore, the Treasury see no "Pension fund or contributions" and classify the scheme as non-contributory, despite the abatement of pay. This sleight of hand has many consequences. :mad:

OAP

Just This Once... 6th Jul 2018 17:04

The % abatement (4%) is quoted in recent reports, including the major pension review in the 2013 AFPRB report and the in the last (published) report.


d Armed Forces pay adjusted for X-Factor (/1.14) and for pensions (x1.04) [2013 Report]

15 As for our yearly ASHE comparisons, this also uses Armed Forces’ pay adjusted down to exclude X-Factor and up to reflect the comparative value of Armed Forces’ pensions. [2017 Report]
Since 2015 the MoD has come into line with normal pension fund management, including a regulated pension board. The whole contacted out/in and NI contributions also changed after engagement with HMT; as did the whole lifetime allowance fiasco which will continue to bite more and more. That said, the Treasury is not completely tone-deaf when it comes to service pensions, especially for those injured on active duty - as a concession HMT wavies all tax on service-attributal pensions.

Onceapilot 6th Jul 2018 18:13


Originally Posted by Just This Once... (Post 10190330)
That said, the Treasury is not completely tone-deaf when it comes to service pensions, especially for those injured on active duty - as a concession HMT wavies all tax on service-attributal pensions.

Have you reflected upon the relative value of a war-pension Vs a civilian injury payment? :oh:

OAP

Just This Once... 6th Jul 2018 19:27

Fair point.


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