Army Soldiers Resigning Over Pay, Says Report
According to a new report issued on May 11th, soldiers serving in the British Army are resigning since the wages provided are insufficient to bring a family up on.
"Many married junior soldiers feel that they are being forced to leave because they cannot afford to raise a family on current pay", it stated.
The same report - compiled for British Army head General Sir Richard Dannatt - added that a "number of soldiers were not eating properly because they had run out of money by the end of the month."
Government Failing Armed Forces, Say Some
In response, a number of prominent figures claimed that the government was failing members of the British armed forces. In the opinion of Patrick Mercer - Conservative MP and ex-British Army member - the report served to strengthen concerns over the state of the armed forces.
"The manpower situation is in crisis, and the so-called military covenant is abused at every turn", Mr Mercer commented.
Army Food Vouchers
"More and more single-income soldiers in the UK are now close to the UK government definition of poverty", the report said, adding that, consequently, army commanders had instigated "Hungry Soldier" programmes. These programmes provide soldiers with food vouchers, the monetary values of which are subsequently subtracted from their salaries.
Pay as You Dine
The issue really began two years ago when the Ministry of Defence abolished a single-rate meal payment scheme in favour of the self-explanatory Pay as You Dine.
A spokesman for the MoD stated: "No service man or woman ever goes hungry. For a variety of reasons, a very small number may find that at times they need assistance.
"The voucher scheme allows them to purchase food and pay for it from their next pay packet."
Source - Armed Forces International's Political Correspondent
