United Kingdom approves pay raise for British Army personnel
By Medicine Hat News on July 30, 2019.
British Army personnel will receive a near three per cent pay hike starting in September – the biggest increase in 12 years – while the lowest paid will receive double that rate to meet “living wage” standards. The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence accepted that recommendation from a military pay review panel on July 22. Pay for the most junior ranks will rise by six per cent increase to bring the minimum pay for soldiers, sailors and airmen to 20,000 pounds per year, worth about $32,000 in Canadian dollars. Other personnel will receive a 2.9 per cent increase, which would be worth about 1,000 pounds, or C$1,600, per year, for the average U.K. Forces member. In June, the ministry announced it would work to implement a living wage policy. Last week, Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt described the compensation changes as fair and the living wage policy as important for recruitment. “In order to attract and retain the best talent, we need to make sure even the lowest paid members of the armed forces receive an acceptable salary to live on,” she said in a release. The raise will be retroactive to April 2019, meaning a lump sum payment this fall will comprise the difference. According to pay rates published by the Government of Canada, a private in his or her first year of service earns C$2,985 per month, or about C$36,000 per year, as of April 2019. 9-8
