Senior Military Officers To Receive 1% Pay Rise

Senior military officers are to receive 1% pay rises this year, it has been confirmed.

The Government announced that it has accepted the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body, which said that pay should rise in line with the maximum 1% permitted by the public sector pay cap.

The below-inflation rise is in line with those received earlier this year by other groups including teachers and nurses, extending the period of 0% and 1% pay hikes which has lasted since 2010.

The pay rise will be backdated to April.

In March, the Armed Forces Pay Review Board recommended a 1% “across the board” increase in base pay, which was also accepted by the government.

In addition, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has announced he’ll accept a supplementary recommendation that Medical and Dental Officers also receive a one per cent pay rise.

Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor Philip Hammond are coming under intense pressure from Labour and the unions to lift the cap, which is currently due to remain in place until 2019/20.

Announcing the Government's response to the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations in a written statement to Parliament, First Secretary of State Damian Green said:

"The Government greatly values the important work that public servants do in delivering essential public services. We understand the need to ensure that we are able to recruit, retain and motivate staff with the right skills and experience.

"However, there is a trade-off between pay and jobs in many public services, and pay restraint is one of the many difficult choices the Government has had to make to help put the UK's public finances back on track.

"Senior public sector workers, like everyone else, will have to continue to play their part to ensure we deliver job security for working people across the country. This will help us to strike the right balance between protecting people's jobs, being fair to public sector workers and being fair to those who pay for it."