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

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.

from what Ive seen Booby that would be quite difficult.

Dnarever wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:34am:


Trying to live within your means (instead of running up even more debt) while dealing with the appalling state of the budget left behind by your incompetent predecessor is a disgrace? Try again!

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 10:55am:


I would agree with you had it been true but the fact is the current government are sending troops into war to fight for a pay cut and yes Tony and the Boys are despicable.

They have no problem wasting $1.2 Million to tell lies to pensioners ?