Only 19% of respondents thought they should have to take their share of public sector pay restraint (Figure 4), compared to 29% in 2012. The conti nuing freeze seems to be causing further anxiety amongst families. We received numerous comments about it being all the more painful at a ti me when there are considerable rises in the cost of living for many.
Do you think the Government is right to conti nue the restraint on Armed Forces pay?
77%
19% Figure 4 Yes, we have to
take our share of public sector pay restraint
No, we should be protected
I don’t know 4%
“While I accept that we all feel the pain (except bankers!), this pay freeze has resulted in a real ti me cut in salary. It may have been more bearable if there had been corresponding freezes in SFA, CILOCT charges etc, but not so and I take home less now than I did back in 2010. Coupled with external infl ati onary factors and overall tax increases (lowering 40% tax threshold v increases to initi al tax threshold) and the reducti on by 70% in child benefi t allowances, I am worse off by £2.5k per year!”
“I feel the Armed Forces have taken the brunt of the spending cuts. From enormous redundancy numbers to conti nued pay freezes and charge increases, my fi nances are now squeezed so ti ght that I’ve had to sell my home and move into SFA. I cannot see an end to the pain this policy is causing. People seem to forget how long we have been squeezed. We have no right to strike and apart from your reports, no voice!”
“I have ti cked that I am dissati sfi ed with the 1% pay increase, yet also that we take our share of the public sector cuts. However, having just been on a 2 year pay freeze, to just receive 1% which is way below infl ati on was, in my opinion, us taking too much of a share of the pay cuts.”
Our initi al analysis showed that 84% of parti cipants felt the conti nuing pay restraint has made some or signifi cant diff erence to their family income. We then carried out further analysis of the evidence to compare the responses between the non-commissioned and commissioned. The results are at Figure 5.
10 Pay, Allowances & Quality of Life
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