Para's Pay Cut

[AshVX220]

I hate our MP's (all of them) with a passion. Spineless bunch of tts, they start conflicts without even increasing the defence budget to compensate and when they need to save money, the frontline get the chop.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/853...

They're a bunch of s, the lot of them.

Edited by AshVX220 on Thursday 26th May 09:30

[deltaevo16]

I served with 2 para for a number of years, 2 tours of NI, went down south to the Falklands, never been prouder to have been a serving member of the Parachute Regiment.

This government are being so short sighted in their attitude to the armed forces, whilst spending shedloads of money being involved in Libya, its a total frigging disgrace.

[deltaevo16]

Guam said:

Top Man

I reckon they should make all those who reckon the Paras arent due the extra pay, jump with a stick in marginal conditions a half a dozen times.

If they survive and still feel the same way, then the cuts can be implemented. Otherwise they should just STFU!

Agreed as long as members of the cabinet went up for a night drop over Fox covert with full containers and heavy drop whisteling in.

[Corsair7]

If they're gonna cut para pay from people unlikly to make combat para jumps, maybe they should think about cutting flying pay from all those senior RAF officers that are only fit to fly desks in whitehall?

See them buggers revolt....

[Roboraver]

Corsair7 said:

If they're gonna cut para pay from people unlikly to make combat para jumps, maybe they should think about cutting flying pay from all those senior RAF officers that are only fit to fly desks in whitehall?

See them buggers revolt....

You hit the nail on the head !

[rhinochopig]

Corsair7 said:

If they're gonna cut para pay from people unlikly to make combat para jumps, maybe they should think about cutting flying pay from all those senior RAF officers that are only fit to fly desks in whitehall?

See them buggers revolt....

Or indeed the training courses that teach you how to speak properly, or how to fine dine, etc.

[GavinPearson]

Are they really getting a pay cut or are they simply being moved back to a set of conditions within their contract that results in less pay?

I suspect the latter.

Either way, it doesn't really send a nice message for people who show the ultimate committment and don't go around talking about risk assessments, health and safety etc.

Unlike the vast army of civil servants and ne'er do wells in the UK, the armed forces personnel can't just hand their notice in and do another job.

These guys are having their pay cut because they can't strike and they can't answer back. And next week some bright spark will wonder why the forces struggle to get the calibre of recruits they want......

[Mario149]

Hold on a sec, let's get a little perspective here. AIUI, they're going to stop paying the bonus that qualified parachutists get to the people that would never actually have to jump? e.g. chefs etc. While I feel sorry for the chefs and the like having to take the cut, it does make sense. Why pay people to be qualified for something they'll never have to do? To do otherwise actually disrespects the people that would have to jump IMO

Now, obviously this is based on the assumption that the chef will never be required to jump into harm's way. If people in the know tell me that is not the case, then I'll happily withdraw my argument

[Corsair7]

GavinPearson said:

These guys are having their pay cut because they can't strike and they can't answer back. And next week some bright spark will wonder why the forces struggle to get the calibre of recruits they want......

A few years ago the Spanish had this problem, they had to pass a law allowing the army to recruit people with an IQ level lower than that which is considered 'normal'.

[JMGS4]

Nothing new about that! Politicians lie whenever they open their mouths. Labour did it when we came our of southern Arabia in 72. My take home pay dropped by 12% to below the breadline.. then the buggers wanted to send me and mine to NI to sort out the daft paddies... told them to insert it where the sun don't shine... HM Forces lost a lot of well qualified chaps then.
Exactly 10 years later, just before the south atlantic strife they wanted to try it on again, but through some solid Thatcherite policy "looking after your own" etc, they dropped it fast.

[Lex Luther]

Mario149 said:

Hold on a sec, let's get a little perspective here. AIUI, they're going to stop paying the bonus that qualified parachutists get to the people that would never actually have to jump? e.g. chefs etc. While I feel sorry for the chefs and the like having to take the cut, it does make sense. Why pay people to be qualified for something they'll never have to do? To do otherwise actually disrespects the people that would have to jump IMO

Now, obviously this is based on the assumption that the chef will never be required to jump into harm's way. If people in the know tell me that is not the case, then I'll happily withdraw my argument

No - You've got the wrong end of the stick - they are cutting the jump money by stopping 2, 3 and 4 PARA from jumping!!!! So we now have a parachute regiment that doesnt parachute!!!! Whilst some people will go that, at this moment in time, a full batallion / regimental operational jump isnt likely........what if???????? This isnt a skill that can be switched on and off at a moments notice!!!!!

Also, P Coy and getting your jump wings in at Brize are what makes you a Para - so Joe Crow now just has to do P Coy to qualify as a Para - doesnt seem right does it??? And for anyone joining the regiment it wont be right!!!

Also, picking up on your point about chefs, how do you expect a fighting body of men to jump in, take and hold an objective, against a (usually) larger and better equipped force without chef and his Norgie's on hand????

This will kick off big time and I am ashamed of the officer(s) that has signed this off.

[JMGS4]

Lex Luther said:

This will kick off big time and I am ashamed of the officer(s) that has signed this off.

And no herkybirds to jump from and no flattops to fly off FACs and no transport to get us down to the South Atlantic... so the spics can now do as they want down there....
Protect our own????... you're 'aving a laarrff!!!
We've got to cull at least 50% of the Whitehall wastrels first. I note none of them are wanting to give up their gold plated pensions!!!!

[MilnerR]

My father jumped into suez in 1956, which I think is the last battalion combat jump. However as he points out parachute training and the attitude it fosters in the paras is what makes them the fighting force they are. When my dad dropped in to Port Said there was a lot of st flying around, and he was trained to hit the ground fighting. Take away that mentality and you have another (all be it well trained) infantry regiment (what my dad would scathingly refer to as a crap-hat regiment). Does anyone in office think or is everything run by no-mark accountants?

[Fittster]

When was the last time any combat troops (from any military) parachuted into a conflict?

[AshVX220]

Fittster said:

When was the last time any combat troops (from any military) parachuted into a conflict?

Panama - late '80's wasn't it?

That was in large numbers, I can well imagine that various SF groups have parachuted into a hot spot within the last year or 2.

Edited by AshVX220 on Thursday 26th May 12:58

[Taita]

PARA jumped in Suez. There have been several SF and SFSG (1 PARA) jumps recently although not on a huge scale.

[jammy_basturd]

Whilst I agree with most of the cuts, and the need to remove the deficit, I think the forces budgets and pay are one thing that should be untouchable.

[Victor McDade]

What is the problem here?

After all someone has to pay for our increased foreign aid budget, bloated payments to the EU, MPs pay rise and other vital expenditures like such.

[Tsippy]

JMGS4 said:

We've got to cull at least 50% of the Whitehall wastrels first. I note none of them are wanting to give up their gold plated pensions!!!!

That, and the scroungers in this country who contribute nothing, and the non-jobs in public sector, and the excessive pay of certain people employed by government, and the expenditure on non-projects etc etc

There are so many places that we could cut costs rather than the military wages (however I do believe that the military budget could be better spent!)

[Odie]

Bit of a non story this, its not an actual pay cut. They are going to reduce the number of personel within the Air mobile brigade who are parachute trained and hence wont get the 'bonus', this will most likely be the back room boys (cooks, quartermasters etc) not the front line 'paras'.