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The
second instalment in the 30-month Workplace Remuneration Agreement
(WRA) took effect on November 4, with a 4 per cent wage increase
across all ADF ranks.
The WRA has allowed for a 10 per cent wage increase spread over
the period from March this year through to November 2006.
Director Military Salaries and Allowances Policy COL Terry McCullagh
said the ADF
had negotiated to have a significant portion of the increase implemented
early in the 30-month term and as a result members had received
a 6.5 per cent pay rise this year.
“We had 2.5 per cent earlier, we have 4 per cent now, there’s
another 2 per cent in June next year and another 1.5 per cent
in March of ’06,” he said.
“I think people would prefer to see those pay increases up front
rather than down the end or spread evenly over [30 months].”
COL McCullagh said the pay increase would also apply to salary
related allowances like service allowance, sea-gong allowance
and flying allowance.
He said the wage increase would elevate ADF members ahead of the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) and therefore had been negotiated on
the basis of increased productivity.
“Current CPI rate is tracking at 2.8 per cent and we’re getting
a 4 per cent wage increase … there are demands on us to create
productivity benefits for that,” he said.
“Fundamentally, we are paid for productivity and performance,
so unless we deliver, both in productivity and performance, we’re
not in a good position to demand increases in our salary.
“The ADF has to demonstrate productivity enhancements over that
[WRA] period and embedded in that are some important productivity
enhancements.”
The Defence Travel Reform Program and PMKeyS self-service had
been major bargaining chips in the negotiation of the current
WRA.
COL McCullagh and his staff at DPE have begun working on the next
WRA case to be put to the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal
for consideration once the current one expires in 2006.
A table detailing how the current pay increase will affect members
has been included in this edition of Navy News.
The details are also at www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac.
