Pay increase on the way under WRA

All permanent and Reserve personnel can look forward to a 2.5 per cent pay rise on May 20.

The increase is the first instalment of a 10 per cent pay increase over the next 30 months achieved under the latest Workplace Arrangement agreed by the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal.

This rise will be followed by four per cent in November, two per cent in June 2005 and a further 1.5 per cent in March 2006.

The pay rises have been achieved under the terms of Workplace Remuneration Arrangement 2004-2006 and were agreed by the DFRT at the end of March.

These increases will apply to salary, including Service Allowance, and salary-related allowances such as Flying, Submarine, Field, Seagoing, Paratrooper and SAFA Allowances.

The new WRA and the Star Rank Remuneration Arrangement (SRRA) are effective from May 6. The WRA complements existing ADF conditions of service and employment determined separately to the arrangement for all permanent and Reserve personnel up to Colonel equivalent.

Like any workplace bargaining agreement, the two arrangements specify a range of conditions or activities that ADF people are expected to contribute in return for the pay increase.

The WRA contains no specific conditions of service trade-offs, but there are a number of obligations, including commitment to organisational renewal, travel and remuneration reform and a range of other personal responsibilities and expectations.

Increased Operational Tempo, which was a primary factor in consideration of the 2003 review of Service Allowance, was not cited as an offset under the WRA. WRA 2002-2004 expires on May 6.

It had been in place for 18 months and delivered a 6 per cent pay increase to ADF members. The last pay rise was in July 2003.

The draft of the new WRA was released in October 2003 and a comprehensive process to explain it across the ADF was started by the CDF and Service chiefs.

Once this was completed, the level of ADF support was assessed. Member feedback was provided by the chain of command and members were invited to respond on an individual level through their own Service.

Ministerial endorsement to proceed with the WRA was obtained in mid-March and the hearing before the tribunal as an “agreed matter” under the terms of the Defence Act began on March 25.

Information on the WRA and SRRA may be found on the Defence Intranet at:
http:// intranet.defence.gov.au/pac/.

THE INCREMENTS

• 2.5% on May 6, 2004
• 4% on November 4, 2004
• 2% on June 2, 2005
• 1.5% on March 9, 2006

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