Defence Force personnel unhappy with Federal Government's latest pay offer

Updated

Thousands of serving Defence Force personnel have expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government's latest pay offer.

The Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal (DFRT) will on Wednesday consider a deal granting personnel a pay rise of 1.5 per cent per year for the next three years, while also giving up some leave conditions.

Members of the ADF do not get a chance to vote on their pay agreements like other public servants, with the DFRT assessing the offer.

David Jamison from the Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) said the increase was below inflation, and personnel would actually be suffering a wages cut.

Mr Jamison said the DFWA has surveyed about 8,000 serving members since Friday, and 90 per cent are dissatisfied with the offer.

He said given the budget situation they had not expected an increase in real wages, but what they had been offered was well below inflation.

"The Government is putting the squeeze on its service personnel at the same time as sending a significant number overseas to another war," he said.

"To achieve this reduction in pay, they're asked to give up six days' leave a year, [they] also face lower mileage rates in their move from one posting to another and have to drive.

"And the married members who are unaccompanied, in other words being posted remote from their families, will lose an allowance to allow them to buy food whilst they're living singly away from base."

Mr Jamison said it was on top of the budget decision to change the indexation for the veterans disability pension.

"Under the budget provisions that have been recently announced, and now this new pay offer, they're certainly not being fairly treated at all," he said.

Mr Jamison said Prime Minister Tony Abbott needed to step in.

"The Prime Minister really needs to intervene to ensure that those who serve the nation are being fairly treated and those veterans - particularly the disabled veterans - are also fairly treated.

"Because under the budget provisions that have been recently announced, and now this new pay offer, they're certainly not being fairly treated at all," he said.

Opposition urging Abbott to intervene

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has written to the Prime Minister urging him to intervene, arguing the increase is below the inflation rate and therefore represents a wage cut.

"The Commonwealth's position would see real wages in the ADF fall, as well as a reduction in leave entitlements, including Christmas leave," he wrote.

"I urge you to reconsider this wage offer to ensure a fair and equitable deal for our ADF personnel, especially at a time when so many are deployed overseas away from their families."

Opposition defence spokesman Stephen Conroy said Mr Abbott should "show some leadership".

"Tony Abbott promised no surprises, and now he wants to cut the wages of our defence personnel," Mr Conroy said.

"I mean, it's quite extraordinary: no surprises, send the troops to war and then suddenly cut their pay."

Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert did not respond to AM's request for an interview.

On Friday he said the deal would deliver a pay increase, and that it balanced the Government's remuneration policy with recognising the unique nature of military service.

Topics: defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia

First posted