Prospect sets out its stall for 2025 pay talks with MOD

Prospect and fellow 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 towards achieving two streams of investment:

• To maintain reasonable year-on-year settlements and;
• To address in the medium term, MOD’s broken pay structure.

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.”

Bob King, Prospect National Secretary for Defence, said: “Whilst the Government has yet to issue the pay remit for 2025, Prospect has submitted a position paper to MOD on pay. In conjunction with the other MOD unions, Prospect has emphasised the need to address both short and long- term issues. This is the only way will start to repair the staff and skills shortfall and retain the staff we have, all of whom contribute to the UK’s defence.”

Prospect’s MOD members will be meeting on Tuesday, 13 May to discuss the position paper.