[Skip to content]

Legion
British Legion
Search our Site
.

A ministry on the defensive

Up to £47 million has been paid out to civil servants in performance bonuses this year.  But who is paying the price?

Legion magazine editorial

Published: 12 November 2009

You’d think after all the spats over lack of equipment on the front line in the past year that the Government would be tightening its belt and putting cash where it’s needed most.

But yesterday, the MoD revealed that it had paid out £47 million in cash bonuses to civil servants. Out of the 80,000 civvies the ministry employs, 50,000 received extra cash for ‘exceptional performances.’ And that was just for the first seven months of the year.

The Daily Telegraph made the figures a little starker today, by comparing a top civvy salary of more £100,000, with the £20,000 salary of the average private on the front line.

The MoD has defended wage comparisons, arguing that MoD civilians sometimes do ‘difficult and dangerous’ jobs.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson told GMTV that civil servants also had to go "into the front line" - for instance, to develop techniques to protect troops from improvised bombs.

"When they do that my understanding is they work 17, 18 hours in Afghanistan," he added.

"They don't get overtime for that - they get a bonus to compensate."

The figures have been heavily criticised by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Shadow defence secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "Many in the armed forces will be aghast that bonuses are being paid on the basis of 'outstanding performance'.

"This will only increase the view that the armed forces and the MoD administration are hugely out of balance."

The figures are shocking at first glance, but perhaps the civvy bonuses are well-deserved. Can you shed any light on what constitutes as ‘outstanding performance’ by an MoD civilian, or why they should earn five times a soldier’s salary?


 

comment on this blog

1. At 16.44 on 12 November 2009, Ex - Crab wrote:

Alan Johnson as usual is on a different planet and opening mouth before engaging the brain - 50,000 bonus payments for 50,000 civil servants 'going into the front line' - What a load of  old Tosh!

2. At 16.46 on 12 November 2009, Ray Curtis wrote:

Do not Civil Servants, like the rest of us get paid to do their job. I am now retired but I never got a bonus I got a fair days pay for a fair days work.  They are also in the front of the queue for the honours list and a really good healthy inflation proof pension, so don't kid me they are hard up!

3. At 19.53 on 12 November 2009,  Jeff Arnold wrote:

No wonder, Veterans like my self injured on Active Service.. Never receive a decent war pension and have to fight the MOD FOR WHAT PITTANCE WE GET !. Then find it taken back off you under the disguise of means tested Benefits for what we have already paid for by in National Insurance Stamps & would have received anyway without being a volunteer for service to our Country. Only to realise why, the Pen Pushers get our compensation payments for delaying payments to those who deserve it most of all. £47 million could help a lot of veterans to lead a decent life. It would also give our young men & women decent equipment to defend our Country in time of need. If they want a Bonus, let them sit in a cold & wet silt trench & defend their Performance Bonus. Or other wise Fox Trot Oscar.

4. At 11.14 on 14 November 2009, Louise wrote:

£100,000 for a top civil servant at the MOD, yet a Private risking his or her life in Afghanistan is on £20,000.  Soldiering isn't a 9-5 Mon-Fri job, and they have to be on duty 24/7 in Afghanistan, so technically they get below national minmum wage in that sense . How often does a civil servant have to risk their life, very rare??? I would give our soldiers the wages of civil servants.  I think £20-30,000 is right basic pay for this civvy servants, pay them a bonus if they do have to risk   thier lives. Just shows how this government prefers pen pushers to our squaddies.

5. At 15.47 on 27 November 2009, Xsniper wrote:

The POOR Tax Payers you and me again ...... The Peers have just recieved a Payment increase to £200.00 per DAY Bloody daylight Robbery ......

» Indicates required fields

Make a comment
Display your name? »