Pay: Unions Issue Position Paper in Advance of Pay Talks

Prospect and fellow Ministry of Defence (MoD) Civil Service Unions have submitted a position paper to MOD, paving the way for this year’s pay talks, but which also highlights the imperative to address both short-term issues, as well as long-term structural problems in need of urgent repair.

The unions are calling on MOD to approach the Cabinet Office and Treasury with a view to achieving two streams of investment: one to maintain reasonable year-on-year settlements and one to address MOD’s broken pay structure medium term.

The MOD Civil Service Unions, comprised of Prospect, GMB, PCS, FDA and Unite, are also calling for a meeting with the Defence Secretary.

The position paper welcomes a commitment given from the MOD pay team at the end of 2024 “to work with us to develop a strategy to reform MOD pay and make it fit for the future.”

Against the backdrop of staffing shortages and growing calls for reduced MOD headcount and costs without any proper context, the paper states:

“All the time, members of the MCSU unions continued to deliver to a high standard in spite of the burdens placed upon them, the chronic shortfall in staffing increasing and varying world tensions and the uncertainties attached to a change in Government.”