Dudley MP Ian Austin has backed a Parliamentary campaign against "plans to cut pay for members of the Armed Forces". According to the Labour MP's website:
The Government has announced that it will limit Armed Forces’ pay , with the Chancellor applying a 1% pay cap in 2013/14 and 2014/15. The Armed Forces are also being hit by the pay freeze, cuts in allowances and a permanent cut in pensions.
With inflation running at 5%, the pay freeze means a pay cut for service personnel.
Austin has written to Government Ministers urging them to commission the independent Armed Forces Pay Review body to from new proposals on pay for service personnel.
Ian Austin MP said:
“The Government should be offering more support for the lowest paid member of our armed forces. They should also be looking for ways to mitigate the impact of these changes, which could have a damaging effect on living standards and morale.
“The latest news comes against a backdrop of 20,000 redundancies, cuts of £250million this year to allowances, cuts to pensions through the indexation switch and questions over Ministers’s commitment to the Military Covenant. I want to see the Government commission the independent Armed Forces Pay Review body so members of the armed forces, especially those on the lowest pay, can get a fair deal.”