EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
During June 2012 the RAF Families Federation (RAF FF) ran an online survey and a number of workshops about ‘Pay, Pensions and Other Stuff’. The purpose was to gather evidence from RAF family members on issues and concerns related to pay, allowances and military pensions. We also wanted to gauge the impact of separation on the family and determine whether or not personnel are able to achieve a work/life balance, as these are all key aspects of the X-Factor allowance, which is under review this year. The evidence will be presented to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) as part of the RAF FF formal report.
This survey generated 1096 responses from RAF families, who had much to say about the continuing pay restraint, the review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme and the impact Service commitments have on family life. While many acknowledged that their basic pay is still satisfactory, there were fewer positive comments about the revised allowances package, with some families now feeling the ‘pinch’ and more than half reporting that they are now financially worse off than before.
Voters acknowledged there are still many benefits to being part of the RAF, but there are genuine concerns that some positive aspects are now being eroded and, as a result, more families are starting to consider their long-term futures within the Service. We received much feedback on the review of the pension scheme, with many commenting that any major changes to their personal pensions would be ‘the last straw’ as they believed this to be the one aspect of Service life that should be protected at all costs.
Families reported increased levels of separation and, while most were able to manage this and the knock-on effect on family life, many were frustrated that increasingly they were unable to take either their full leave entitlement or take leave when they wanted to. Finally, indications are that morale remains fragile and family members are in need of stability after the turmoil of the last two years.
For ease of reference, the top 10 findings from those who completed this survey were: 1.
2.
3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
91% believe it is important to have an independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body. However, 60% felt the role has been adversely affected by the Government’s policy on public sector pay.
While 29% felt the Government was right to impose a two year pay freeze on the Armed Forces, 74% disagreed with the decision to then restrain pay for a further two years.
46% said they, or their serving family member, routinely worked more than 50 hours per week.
A third described the level of separation they had experienced as too high and that it had an unacceptable impact on family life.
32% considered ‘job security’ to be the main advantage of serving in the RAF, while 15% voted for ‘the pension’. The disadvantages cited were ‘the negative impact of operational deployments on the family’ and ‘the turbulence caused by frequent assignments’.
50% of voters were satisfied with their basic pay, but only 23 % were happy with the revised allowances package.
Three quarters of those who took part said they have been adversely affected by the Allowances Review. Their main concerns were changes to the Home to Duty (HTD) entitlement and loss of the Incidental Expenditure Allowance (IEA).
37% said the Service pension was the main reason for the Service family member remaining in the RAF. A further 43% felt the pension had ‘some effect’ on their decision to stay.
Only 26% said that the Serving family member was able to take their full leave entitlement last year. Two thirds said they found it difficult to take leave at a time to suit their family.
Less than half considered they, or their Serving family member, had a good work/life balance. 4
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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