MoD job losses are ‘a farce’
COMING HOME HMS Westminster returning after six months away
THE Ministry of Defence’s redundancy scheme was called ‘a farce’ last night after it emerged sailors who came home from the war in Libya will be sacked this week.
Sailors – many of who only returned to the UK a few weeks ago – will discover they are out of a job when the MoD makes hundreds of compulsory redundancies on Friday.
But those serving on ships which went to the warzone later in the conflict and are still in Libyan waters will be spared the axe in the first wave of navy job losses.
One serving officer, who did not wish to be named, told The News: ‘It does seem farcical that just because you were on a ship that went out to Libya in March but came back in June you may be fired but if you went to Libya in April and are still out there you will not be fired this time round.’
The navy is having to axe 5,000 jobs by 2015 as part of the government’s cuts to plug a £38bn black hole in the defence budget.
The MoD said the first tranche of 1,600 job losses will be announced on Friday.
Most of the redundancies will come from sailors who have volunteered to leave.
But speculation – which was not denied by the MoD yesterday – is that 400 compulsory redundancies will have to be made because fewer sailors than expected asked to leave.
Sailors eligible for the axe include those who served in Libya aboard the Portsmouth-based frigates HMS Westminster and HMS Iron Duke, and the destroyer HMS York.
Also at risk are men from the Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Brocklesby which was praised as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Britain’s Libya operations by the navy’s second-in-command Admiral Sir Trevor Soar when the ship returned home in July.
It was reported yesterday that dozens of sailors who helped refugees escape the warzone aboard the now-decommissioned frigate HMS Cumberland will be fired.
Former Second Sea Lord Admiral Sir Michael Layard, who was responsible for sailors’ welfare between 1992 and 1995, said: ‘It all comes back to the defence review which in my view was badly conducted and based on false premise.
‘I have huge sympathy for those who are facing being made redundant – particularly if they have been in harm’s way literally days or weeks before. My heart goes out to them.’
The MoD said it would not comment on specifics until sailors receive their redundancy notices on Friday.
Anyone in receipt of the Operational Allowance on the day redundancy notices are issued is not eligible to be made redundant unless they have applied, the MoD said.
This includes the destroyer HMS Liverpool and minehunter HMS Bangor because they are still on operations off the Libyan coastline.
Beth Torvell, from The Navy Campaign pressure group, said: ‘As the smallest service with a close knit community, the impact of these cuts has been felt not just by the servicemen and women, but by their families and loved ones who are so often forgotten in the fight.
‘Despite the gloom, this community has been through tough times before and has always come out the other side stronger.
‘We have every confidence that the resilience of the navy will shine through as they continue to do an outstanding job.’
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
IN April, the MoD confirmed the Royal Navy would lose 1,600 sailors in the first tranche of military job cuts which will be officially announced this Friday.
Of these, 1,211 are junior ratings, 274 senior ratings and 121 are officers.
The officers selected will be from the engineering, medical, warfare and logistics branches up to the rank of captain.
The navy said job losses within junior and senior rates would be from a ‘variety of branches’ but will not confirm which branches until Friday.
Fifteen of the Fleet Air Arm’s 59 fixed-wing pilots will go after the government got rid of Harrier jump jets.
The MoD was hoping to make up most of the redundancies from volunteers, but as The News revealed in July, fewer sailors than expected put their hands up to go – meaning compulsory redundancies would be made.
It’s believed more than 400 sailors will be forced out of service on Friday, although this was not being officially confirmed by the MoD.
Volunteers will serve six months’ notice before leaving the armed forces while compulsory leavers will serve 12 months’ notice.
Last year’s defence cuts said the navy must lose 5,000 sailors by 2015 – a sixth of the navy.
Another tranche of naval redundancies will be concluded next March.
A third tranche of naval job losses is likely to be announced in September 2012.
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Comments
There are 13 comments to this article
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Liebour 1997-2010
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 09:26 AMFrom the The United Kingdom’s Future Nuclear Deterrent: The Submarine Initial Gate Parliamentary Report dated 18 May 2011....."We expect the overall successor programme to remain within the White Paper cost envelope of £15-20 Billion at 20067 prices with the replacement platform(boats) costing £11-14Bn (at 20067 prices) . Assuming a four boat fleet, the replacement submarines will remain within the £11-14Bn estimate. This equates to £25Bn at outturn prices for the successor submarines. Since Parliamentary approval to replace our nuclear deterrent in 2007 the MOD has spent around £900M"......... So next time 12 you have to take account of infaltion or outrun pricing.
Liebour 1997-2010
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 08:02 AMYour post 4 can you not write? " using close a third of MODs total equipment budget through the 2020s." Still standing by that quote?
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 07:16 PMAlso, it is a spend of at least £7bn this decade, £25bn next decade. At the end of that we have ONE boat, boats 2, 3 and 4 m4ean more spend comes in the decades after that. NOT a total of £25bn over 15 years
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 07:13 PMCan you not read? - I'll emphasise the important bits for you. "reaching a peak of around 30 per cent of the new equipment budget by 2021-22 or 2022-23, when the first-of-class begins production. It is likely to REMAIN CLOSE TO THIS LEVEL until after the planned delivery of the first submarine in 2028"
Liebour 1997-2010
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 07:03 PMA peak spend of 30% for one year, not the whole decade as you implied. Total project and build costs of £25bn spread over 15 or so years. On the other hand £20bn for two carriers equipped with F35's. Building modern defence euipment is very expensive but what are the other options?
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:54 PMTry again. "spend on the successor programme will rise sharply, probably reaching a peak of around 30 per cent of the new equipment budget by 2021-22 or 2022-23, when the first-of-class begins production. It is likely to remain close to this level until after the planned delivery of the first submarine in 2028"
Liebour 1997-2010
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:52 PM12, So when does a third of MODs total equipment budget equal 11% Which of your posts is wrong 4 or 6? Do you understand the difference between build costs and lifetime costs?
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:46 PMReally? "The MoD is due to spend £7 billion over the decade to 2020 on the initial concept, design and development phases of this project, equivalent to around 11 per cent of the new equipment budget over the decade from 201112 to 202021." "But the bulk of spending on the successor submarines, total costs of which are projected at £25 billion, is due to occur during the decade after 202021" "spend on the successor programme will rise sharply, probably reaching a peak of around 30 per cent of the new equipment budget by 202122 or 202223, when the first-of-class begins production. It is likely to remain close to this level until after the planned delivery of the first submarine in 2028"
Liebour 1997-2010
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:41 PMNot what the RUSI report says
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:38 PMSo, about £33bn to build and equip the new subs - using close a third of MODs total equipment budget through the 2020s.
Liebour 1997-2010
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:27 PMIf you read the RUSI report it will tell you.
12
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:16 PMHow big was the black whole before the current government transferred responsibility for funding the deterrent to MOD from the Treasury? (without transferring any cash)
Liebour 1997-2010
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 03:59 PMRUSI says Labours black hole in the defence budget will be cleared by the Coaltion government by 2020. Good news I say, just hope we dont involved in a new war until then, but with Blair out of office the chances of that must be a lot lower. Why isnt Tony at the Labour Party Conference? guess theres no money in it for him.
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