FEDERATION
“QUICK 6” SURVEY RESULTS ON PAY The RAF FF’s Evidence Manager, Colin Jones, summarises
W
hen we ask for your individual evidence, we always promise to feedback the results. Here I am again with the results of the “Quick Six” Survey we carried out in response to
the announcement of the 2014 pay award. The survey was designed to gather people’s initial reactions, and to provide them the opportunity to put comments with each answer.
The survey was available on our website for a month and, as expected, the topic generated many comments (93 pages worth!), some of which are published here, and some of which cannot be published at all!
We would like to thank all those who took the time to participate; one of our key messages continues to be ‘without you we have no say’. The evidence you have provided, with the comments, will form part of our report to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in October.
We began with an administrative question to identify where respondents were accommodated.
RAF
. We're struggling to afford things like childcare etc. now, especially with the increased OOA commitments that my husband has had over the last few years.
It’s as much as other government workers are getting.
Notwithstanding the parlous state of public finances, there has been a significant gap between military pay award and CPI for 5 years or more. The impact of this is a very real drop in the standard of living for most servicemen and their families. In real terms I believe that I am around 12-15% poorer than I was 6 years ago.
Since the pay announcement, the increase in normal living costs have already nullified this pay award (the term "award" in this case is offensive as by my maths, after tax it works out at an extra £21 per month – Extra outgoings for gas/electric/water/mortgages as of 1 Apr 2014 = £88.34).
Considering the government are asking members of the Armed Forces to do increasingly more, with fewer resources, it would be nice to receive some appreciation for the work that we do to protect our country. Considering that we are pulling out of Afghan, which will save an absolute fortune, a more noticeable pay-rise would have been a good “thank you” for the work that we do. I feel like a number at the moment. I'm at the top of my pay scale with no incremental increases, and I have been for the last three years, 1% will not make the slightest difference.
In line with other sector pay rises I believe the 1% pay award to be fair.
Even when taking the current economic climate into consideration (it is getting better) a 1% pay rise when personnel are expected to do more… is not conducive for morale and retention. As a Unit Cdr it is very hard to justify the MP's pay rise to my staff or my wife. Given that we are expected to do more, with less, some form of fiscal reward would be appreciated. I currently have to deal with experienced Junior Officers and SNCOs who are planning to leave due to a lack of monetary reward. This dilutes my already over- diluted pool of experience even more.
AND SOME OF YOUR COMMENTS… It would be fair if the SFA charges weren't also increased by 2.2%!
This increase is not enough to compensate for the rise in living costs we have experienced within the last two years.
With the increasing costs of living we have really noticed the pay freezes and meagre pay rises. I am a nurse and my husband is in the
28 Envoy Autumn 2014
AND SOME OF YOUR COMMENTS… Food costs have risen, thus it is entirely appropriate that food
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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