Defence Force personnel must give up leave in return for below inflation wage offer

Date
    October 10, 2014


Australian Defence Force personnel have been offered a wage increase of 1.5 per cent a year.

The federal government is asking Australia's soldiers, sailors and air force personnel to accept wage deal of less than half the rate of inflation and to give up some of their workplace entitlements, just days after committing the nation's armed forces to war in Iraq.      

The nation's 57,000 men and women in uniform will have to give up some of their Christmas and recreational leave in order to get the pay rise of just 1.5 per cent a year over the next three years.

The Chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin told the military on Friday morning that he expected discontent in the ranks over the offer but said it was "as good an outcome as I can negotiate in the current climate".

Air Chief Marshal Binskin said the army, navy and air force will be expected to make other "productivity gains" in order to qualify for the below cost-living wage deal.


ACM Binskin told his troops by email on Friday morning that 1.5 per cent per year was a "fair and reasonable" pay rise in the present environment of wage restraint in the Commonwealth public sector.

"While there is no doubt that the ADF provides a unique service to the nation, we must operate within the government's wage framework when considering any remuneration package," ACM Binskin wrote.

"Our salary increases are neither automatic nor are they an entitlement and we too need to demonstrate that increases to our salaries are premised on improvements in productivity and efficiency.

ACM Binskin said that he was asking his men and women to give up some of their leave entitlements as an offset against the pay rise.      

"One of the things we will offer up is one of the approved leave days over the Christmas period. Another is the removal of extra recreational leave  provisions," he wrote.

"I know that leave is important to all ADF members and I have not taken this decision lightly.

"However, I believe that with the other leave provisions that are available, including short leave from duty, and the inequitable way that ERL has been applied across the ADF workforce in the past, these offsets are reasonable."

Military personnel are banned from union membership but early reaction from Professionals Australia which represents many members in the Defence establishment, described the offer as "outrageous".

"For the Government to put forward a pay and conditions offer for the ADF that is below inflation and strips members of leave entitlements, and other conditions, is outrageous," union official Dave Smith said.      

"At a time when members are being deployed their families will have less capacity to pay the bills and they will have less time to spend with their families.

"ADF members don't get a real say in this outcome and have limited representation."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/defence-force-personnel-must-give-up-leave-in-return-for-below-inflation-wage-offer-20141010-1143ia.html#ixzz3Fi7BxpNs

Let's see our pollies settle for 1.5% and give up a raft of their 'workplace entitlements'....

Subsidised housing, rent assistance, free medical, dental, subsidised childcare, fully funded tertiary qualifications, etc, etc. Don't think our military personnel are hard done by.  If you want hard done by, look at what the Americans pay their military personnel - the lowest ranked sailors earn less than our kids earn per hour at McDonalds (around $6 an hour). Also, don't forget that when serving abroad, they get an active service allowance and if in a war zone, they get danger pay on top of their normal salary and that danger pay is 100% tax-free. My brother, who was a Private (lowest rank) in the Army in Iraq during the second Gulf War for six months earned nearly $30,000 in tax-free danger pay. They actually have it quite good.

being in the ADF is one of the safest jobs around. Statistically, the  mining industry is far more dangerous. the benefits and pay are far too generous for the average grunt  in my opinion. these guys do 20 years of sitting behind a desk or cooking potatos and get to retire on a pension for life.

ian wrote on Oct 11^th, 2014 at 2:06pm:


No pensions for life anymore. 

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 11^th, 2014 at 2:15pm:
Of course, the SAS is dangerous but thats not what I posted. if you take the ADF as a whole it is one of the safest jobs around. You people have SAS on the brains, the ADf is comprised of around 80,000 personnel, the vast majority of these people are not SAS and perform roles supporting those who actually may go into battle. like I said one of the cushiest and safest jobs around, no dispute.

ian wrote on Oct 11^th, 2014 at 2:23pm:


I am one of them, the DFRDB super system, that was changed to a system that gives you a bigger payout but no lifetime pension.  Those who were in at the time were given the option to opt in or stay under the old system.

still a nice handshake after 20 years. my point is that many who actually do put their life on the line for the public every day in non ADF  jobs get nothing.