CAROL WOODS DEMANDS FAIR DEAL FOR TROOPS
November 10, 2009 12:00 AM
Carol Woods, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary campaigner for Durham, has called for the Government to award big pay rises to military personnel many of whom are risking their lives on the Afghanistan front-line.
She is backing new Liberal Democrat policy to give the worst paid servicemen and women, who earn less than trainee police officers and firefighters, pay rises worth almost £6,000 a year.
Carol said, "Labour has taken us into five wars. Afghanistan is going into its ninth year - almost as long as the two world wars combined. Yet under Labour, 13,000 of the lowest ranking personnel earn less than £17,000. More than 51,000 earn less than the salaries of trainee police and firefighters."
General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former Chief of the Army, has said that Britain has "seriously stretched our soldiers to the very limit". Former Chief of Defence Staff General Lord Charles Guthrie has said those on the front line feel betrayed by ministers and mandarins in Whitehall.
"The Liberal Democrats will put a stop to this straight away. We will raise the pay of the lowest paid troops by an extra £6,000 a year. The average basic pay across the ranks of private and lance corporal would rise to around £25,000. We will pay for this by cutting desk jobs in the MoD where currently there is one civil servant for every two service personnel.
"We need to stop short-changing our troops."
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