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Soldiers
will benefit from a 10 per cent pay rise over 30 months
from May 2004 under the proposed Work Remuneration Agreement
Photo illustration by David Sibley, Army newspaper
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Pay
rise of 10 % proposed in WRA
Draft
agreement ready for consultation
By Rebecca Codey
A PAY rise of 4 per cent per annum over two-and-a-half years has
been proposed in the next ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement
(WRA), which is now ready for consultation.
The
proposed cumulative pay rises of 10 per cent over the 30 months
of the WRA would kick off on May 6, 2004, and applies to all salary
and salary-related allowances.
The
proposed increments are: 2.5 per cent on May 6, 2004, 4 per cent
on November 4, 2004, 2 per cent on June 2, 2005, and 1.5 per cent
on March 9, 2006.
Assistant
Director Industrial Policy, Directorate of Salary and Allowances,
Martin Kennedy said the overall outcome was broadly comparable to
the outcome being offered to civilian staff in the Defence Employee
Certified Agreement (DECA), although the timing and size of the
four increments differ.
Productivity
improvements associated with the WRA and the DECA include the continuation
of the commitment to achieving Defence White Paper targets, Results
through People, organisational reform, the introduction of Defence
travel reforms and employee self service.
The
WRA is more than simply a pay rise - it gives ADF members a general
indication of what the future holds for them.
"Basically
the WRA sets the scene for the next few years," Mr Kennedy
said.
"It
outlines the CDF and the Service Chiefs' expectations of what lies
ahead across the whole ADF and what the organisation intends to
do in terms of remuneration to recognise increased productivity,
efficiency and personnel contribution to capability."
"It
also explains how the ADF will maintain the whole package in relation
to how we sit within the wider Australian community in terms of
remuneration," he said.
"We
must maintain competitiveness because we need to attract and retain
our people.
"The
WRA helps do all of these things in a broad sense."
The
consultation draft of the WRA will be widely distributed throughout
the ADF for review and comment.
"The
main form of feedback we receive and the avenue that has a very
significant impact, is through the chain of command."
"This
will not only provide a clear sense of what the leadership thinks,
but also the views of the people they command. It is part of their
leadership responsibility that the CDF and the Service Chiefs take
very seriously."
In
a bid to communicate with ADF members, to further explain the Arrangement
and answer any questions, the WRA team will conduct national roadshows
from late October to mid-November. Feedback is also sought during
the roadshows.
Views
on the WRA can be expressed through the chain of command or directly
to the Directorate of Salary and Allowances at the address shown
on the Intranet web site. The chain of command is scheduled to provide
consolidated reports of ADF members' views of the proposed arrangement
in late November or early December.
It
is planned for the WRA to be presented to the Defence Force Remuneration
Tribunal some time in the new year, and to take effect on May 6,
2004.
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